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Friendly Apps Raises $3 Million, Pre-Product, For Apps That Improve People’s Well-Being

May 26, 2022•about 3 years ago

Amount Raised

$3 Million

Round Type

seed

MobileSoftware

Description

Longtime engineer and product designer Michael Sayman has been building apps since he was a kid, landing him roles at Facebook, Google, Roblox, and most recently Twitter, where he’s often been tasked with developing products aimed at a teenage audience. Sayman was only 17 when he joined Facebook, but had already built several apps — an experience documented in his book “App Kid.” Over the years, Sayman contributed to high-profile products like Instagram Stories, WhatsApp Status, YouTube Shorts, and the Roblox Graph, among others. Now, Sayman is looking to leverage his understanding of what users want from their apps with the launch of his new startup, Friendly Apps.

Company Information

Company

Friendly Apps

About

The companies encouraged the wrong behaviors from their users, and have become popular because they’re addictive, he says. Although the startup will take the learnings from social apps and products he’s helped create for teens, its apps won’t be solely aimed at Gen Z users. Despite that fact, the startup raised a seed round of $3 million in about a week’s time. Instead, the startup plans to test a suite of products, experiences, features, and even various design elements before bringing anything to the public. The company also wants to include the perspectives of those outside Silicon Valley, Sayman says. Prior to starting Friendly Apps, Sayman was working at Twitter.