As social media has evolved into large-scale entertainment platforms, a startup called Yope is building a private social network with no algorithms, no ads, and no public content. The company announced a $12.3 million seed round led by Northzone, with participation from Inovo, Redseed, and Geek Ventures, bringing total funding to $20 million. Yope’s app is centered on what it calls “micro communities”—small groups where friends and family interact privately, sharing photos, videos, messages, and soon mini-games. Accounts are private by default, there is no algorithmic feed, and the business relies on a premium subscription model rather than advertising.

Co-founder and CEO Bahram Ismailau says the team conducted over 100,000 interviews (aided by AI) to understand how young people use social networks. They found that about 30% of users operate photo dump or “spam” accounts for candid sharing with a smaller circle, while many others never post publicly and rely on messaging. Yope aims to be an “AI-native social platform” that uses AI to foster connections rather than create content. Planned AI features include mini-games playable with friends and tools to help users meet in real life, such as buying event tickets or finding a place to watch a game.

Users create profiles by sharing photos that can be turned into cut-out stickers. Instead of albums, photos are displayed in a collage-like “wall.” Upcoming customization options will let users add interests, favorite music, mini-games, colors, and wallpapers, evoking the personalized feel of early MySpace. The app also includes standard features like in-app messaging, AI-generated recaps of top moments, and lock screen widgets that show friends’ photos.

Yope reports nearly 15 million registered users who collectively share between 10 and 20 million pieces of content daily (photos, videos, stickers). More than 50% of users open the app at least five days per week, and about 20% of active users have invited an older family member to join. Northzone partner Pär-Jörgen Pärson noted that Yope offers a “fresh, empowering and safe take on social media” where users are in full control, unlike Meta, TikTok, or X. The funding will be used to develop the product, grow the team (currently about 35), and establish a U.S. office. Yope is available as a free download on iOS and Android.