Top Social Media startups to watch in 2024

You’ve heard it a thousand times and it still rings true: social media is radically changing how people relate to each other worldwide. In fact, according to Forbes, 4.9 billion people use social media globally (c. 2023), with the average person using around seven different social platforms in their day-to-day (Sprout). But we often forget Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and Threads aren’t the only social media platforms out there. The Social Media startup sector does not lack innovation or ideas. There are so many incredible companies out there creating new places for people to build communities of all shapes and sizes. To help narrow it down, we’re talking through our top ten social media startups to watch in 2024.

The Top Three

Round

Round is a community built by tech leaders, for tech leaders. They provide coaching from leading voices in the tech industry and help members build networks which allow them to grow personally and professionally.

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BeReal

BeReal is a photo-sharing app where users share their real lives with friends. It doesn’t follow the typical social media formula of likes, followers, and filters, but instead encourages people to be spontaneous and authentic, capturing little moments of everyday life.

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Discord

Discord has created a space which gives people power to create community and find belonging. With 150 million active users, Discord is a voice, video and communication technology where users can create groups based on interests.

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Round

Why we’re excited:

We don’t know about you, but when we hear the word ‘networking’, we aren’t overwhelmed with a feeling of excitement. Networking can be a bit daunting and even terrifying. We love that Round believes building your network doesn’t need to feel like networking, but can rather be an exchange of ideas and a space for learning. Round’s mission to help people come together to build relationships and to provide coaching which helps tech professionals get where they want to go, is one we can definitely get behind.

Founded by:

Founded date:

2020

Funding:

Seed US $11.7M

# Employees:

11-50

Location:

Seattle, Washington, USA

BeReal

Why we’re excited:

We all know social media can be anxiety-inducing. Sometimes we even need to switch off for a bit to stop comparing ourselves to others. According to a study cited by Consumer Notice, kids “who received fewer ‘likes’ or positive feedback felt more strongly rejected and reported more negative thoughts about themselves’ on social media." We LOVE how BeReal has thrown the social media playbook out the window and instead focuses on creating an environment of positivity, authenticity, and empowerment. The best version of ourselves shouldn’t hide behind a filter, and BeReal definitely agrees.

Founded by:

Founded date:

2020

Funding:

Series B US $587M

# Employees:

11-50

Location:

Paris, Ile-de-France, France

70% of startups use Freelancers to scale

Discord

Why we’re excited:

A platform that helps us talk with our friends or school clubs, without spamming our WhatsApp groupchats? Yes please. We love Discord’s desire to make communication and community building easier for everyone. The inherent desire to ‘belong’ is something which is present in all of us, and Discord is trying to make it easier for us to find our place in the world. Whether you’re a gamer, a international art fanatic, or an amateur film critic, there’s a place for you on Discord.

Founded by:

Founded date:

2015

Funding:

Secondary Market US $995.4M

# Employees:

1001-5000

Location:

San Francisco, California, United States

CitizenLab

CitizenLab is on a mission to ‘build stronger democracies by making public decision-making more inclusive, participatory, and responsive’ (CitizenLab). This B2B SaaS platform is a space for municipal governments to directly engage with their participants and residents.

Why we’re excited:

In the world of marketing, we’ve all been told a million times to ‘keep a finger on the pulse’ of our target audience. It’s important to know what your audience is thinking, what motivates them, and what their pain points are. And the same is just as true for governments. But very often, government officials can seem out of touch. CitizenLab’s goal to make public decision-making more data-driven, engaged, and inclusive is a critical one. Their platform makes it easy to ask and answer questions, manage projects, and analyse results.

Founded by:

Founded date:

2015

Funding:

Series A EU €6.7M

# Employees:

51-100

Location:

Brussels, Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, Belgium

Vinehealth built an online community of over 10,000 patients with 3x social engagement.

Vinehealth wanted to increase its engagement with users across their social media platforms. With a small online presence to begin with, there was ample room to grow. Within a few weeks of working with a Social Media freelancer for two days per week, Vinehealth’s overall engagement increased threefold.

Learn how

Quora

Quora is growing the world’s knowledge and empowering people to share information. As a Q&A platform, Quora is a space for people to ask the important questions and to get answers from people who know best.

Why we’re excited:

Access to knowledge is powerful, and it’s historically – and tragically – not available to everyone. Very often expert-level insights are hidden behind paywalls or subscriptions, and it can be really frustrating when you want to learn, but don’t have access. Quora is working to change this. Their Q&A platform helps democratise access to knowledge. With billions of people online, only a small percentage actually contribute their knowledge to it (Quora). Quora is a place to learn more from the people who have been there.

Founded by:

Founded date:

2009

Funding:

Series D US $226M

# Employees:

501-1000

Location:

Mountain View, California, United States

MeWe

MeWe is a privacy-first social network which allows users to create and control their own social media experience, without having to worry about whether or not big-tech is selling their data. MeWe’s social network allows users to have a fun social media experience they can trust.

Why we’re excited:

We all know big-tech companies (*cough Meta) will target, track and sell our data for financial gain. And many of us have taken this to be the status quo. But MeWe is taking a stand. MeWe’s platform is ad-free, spyware free, and BS free (their words, not ours). And they don’t just talk the talk, they’re putting their ethos into code. This year (2023), WeMe began to migrate to the Social Web. This decentralised version of the internet puts power directly into users’ hands, making it impossible for corporations to own or control their data (MeWe). Their fight for privacy is one we can get behind.

Founded by:

Founded date:

2012

Funding:

Venture - Series Unknown US $41.5M

# Employees:

11-50

Location:

Los Angeles, California, United States

Zigazoo

Emerging during the pandemic as an outlet for children to nurture their creativity and their relationships with peers, Zigazoo is a safe, video thread-style social platform for the next generation.

Why we’re excited:

When people hear ‘social media for kids’, they might get a bit nervous. After all, social media have negative impacts on full-grown adults. But Zigazoo – a kidSAFE COPPA-certified company – is putting these fears to rest. And we’re obsessed. With a child-safe algorithm and a platform actively fighting against toxicity, Zigazoo gives children only the best parts of the social media experience. They provide opportunities for connection, learning, and engaging creatively with their peers, without the trolls to bring them down. What could be better?

Founded by:

Founded date:

2020

Funding:

Series A US $25M

# Employees:

1-10

Location:

New York, New York, United States

NextDoor

NextDoor helps people get the most out of their neighbours. NextDoor’s social networking platform helps neighbours connect with each other to receive trusted information, buy and sell, give and get help, and so much more.

Why we’re excited:

Haven’t you always wanted to know your neighbours better? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a platform for just that? NextDoor is it. With 1 in 3 Americans using the network, NextDoor is a great way to connect with the strangers who live right next door. Not only do we love that everyone on NextDoor is verified (safety first), we also love that NextDoor not only allows you to connect with neighbours, but also allows you to connect with businesses in the community. It encourages connection, engagement, and fosters an even stronger neighbourhood.

Founded by:

Founded date:

2011

Funding:

Post IPO-Equity US $717.9M

# Employees:

501-1000

Location:

San Francisco, California, United States

Clubhouse

At Clubhouse, good friendships are the foundation of a fulfilling, happy life. And the Clubhouse platform makes it easier to find, hang out with, and fill your life with friends (old and new).

Why we’re excited:

We love a platform that is rooted in fun and human connection. And that’s exactly what Clubhouse is. Clubhouse isn’t about posting content or growing a following. It’s about building a community of friends. In the ‘Clubhouse’ you can join ‘rooms’ and chat with the people you find, or even form your own ‘house’ based around a particular interest…Love Island Summer Season 2024 perhaps? Clubhouse believes friendships are the key to happiness, and we couldn’t agree more.

Founded by:

Founded date:

2020

Funding:

Series C US $110M

# Employees:

101-250

Location:

San Francisco, California, United States

Cobble

Cobble is the app to end decision fatigue. This app helps you and your friends or significant others come up with 'date' ideas you’ll actually want to do. They make meeting up fun and different.

Why we’re excited:

Gone are the days of the ghosted group chats or the tired ‘I don’t know, what do you want to do’. Cobble is here to help. Launched in 2020 in the midst of the pandemic, Cobble is essentially a personal assistant. You can chat with friends, make polls to vote on activities, and then go out and actually do it! We love how Cobble is here to make our lives easier. Plus, some of the ‘day out’ ideas we’ve seen look like next level fun.

Founded by:

Founded date:

2020

Funding:

Seed US $3M

# Employees:

1-10

Location:

Greater New York Area, East Coast, Northeastern US

Pepper

Pepper is a community app for chefs – professional, amateur or anywhere in between – to share creations, find inspiration, or upload original recipes. With a community of 250,000+ cooks, you can follow, comment, share, and save.

Why we’re excited:

We’re hungry just looking at this app. Maybe you’ve been wanting to start a food account on Instagram but were worried about what people would think? Pepper is the place for you. Pepper has created a community of people who love food and who care. They’ve transformed cooking into a social activity and give cooks of all backgrounds a place to shine. We love their value proposition, the product, and can’t wait to give all these incredible recipes a try…

Founded by:

Founded date:

2020

Funding:

Private, Funding unknown

# Employees:

1-10

Location:

New York, New York, United States

Strava

At Strava, they believe if you sweat, you’re an athlete. Strava is an online network where athletes can record activities, compare their performance over time, and compete with community members in a healthy way.

Why we’re excited:

Surprised to see this Strava on the list? This startup is something special and the social aspect of the platform has really taken off in the last few years. Strava isn’t just a platform to track your activity and your progress. It’s a place to build a social community. You can comment, kudos, share, and compete with other members in a refreshing, fun way. We really love how Strava have turned fitness – something that can be quite personal for lots of people – into an online space of inspiration, motivation and perspiration.