Yik Yak
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| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia |
|---|---|
| Key people | Tyler Droll (CEO) Brooks Buffington (COO) |
| Industry | Internet |
| Employees | 20 |
| Website | yikyakapp |
| Registration | None |
| Launched | 2013 |
| Current status | Online |
| Written in | Java, Objective-C |
Yik Yak is a social media smartphone application. It is available for iOS and Android and it allows people to create and view discussion threads within a 5-mile radius (termed "Yaks" by the application). It is similar to other anonymous sharing apps such as Nearby, but differs from others such as Whisper in that it is intended for sharing primarily with those in proximity to the user. All users have the ability to contribute to the stream by writing, responding, and "voting up" or "voting down" (liking or disliking) yaks.
The developers of the app, Tyler Droll and Brooks Buffington, are both graduates from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. The two started collaborating when they were placed into the same class where they learned how to code iPhone apps. After graduating from Furman University, they decided to go full-time with the project. Droll dropped out of medical school just before it started and Buffington put his finance career on hold. The two released the app in November 2013, and twelve months later, it was ranked as the 9th most downloaded social media app in the United States. Droll and Buffington have continued their work on Yik Yak, taking measures to ensure its sustainability.
On January 20, 2016, Yik Yak announced the web version of the app is available.
Yik Yak was launched in 2013 after CEO Tyler and COO Brooks graduated from Furman University. Yik Yak was originally funded by Atlanta Ventures and offices based in the Atlanta Tech Village, the city's premier startup incubator. As of April 22, 2014, the company announced that it had secured $1.5 million in funding from various companies such as Vaizra Investments, DCM, Kevin Colleran, and Azure Capital Partners. This funding came five months after Yik Yak was founded. This funding was intended to enhance the app, and to increase the amount of users both in the United States and overseas. On June 30, 2014, a little over two months after the initial $1.5 million, Yik Yak secured $10 million from its previous investors, along with Renren Lianhe Holdings, and Tim Draper. During the fall of 2014, with exponential user growth Yik Yak secured over $60 million from Sequoia Capital and other investors. This gave Yik Yak a valuation over $350 million, less than one year after launch.
One of the biggest criticisms of social media sites and applications is their inherent potential to feed the growing amount of cyberbullying. Due to the widespread bullying and harassment committed through Yik Yak, many schools and school districts have taken action to ban the app. These include several Chicago school districts,Norwich University in Vermont,Eanes Independent School District in Texas, Lincoln High School district in Rhode Island,New Richmond School District in Ohio, Shawnigan Lake School in Canada and Pueblo County School District in Colorado. Tatum High School in New Mexico banned cell phone use from the school due to Yik Yak, and the Student Government Association at Emory University in Georgia attempted to ban the app across campus, but failed to do so after immense backlash from students.
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