9count builds and cross-promotes multiple consumer social apps, including video chat app Wink and dating app Summer. Summer (formerly Spark) uses a grid-based interface to mimic real-life crowded spaces, targets users 18+, and hit No. 1 in the App Store in two markets after launch. The company reports Summer has over 500,000 downloads, more than one million registered users, and over 300,000 monthly active users; Wink reportedly has over 2 million monthly active users and 15 million+ lifetime downloads. 9count says its app portfolio reaches over 10 million users, while Sensor Tower data indicates 16M+ downloads across its products. The startup plans to use the new funding largely for marketing Summer (including an upcoming Android launch and in-person events in L.A.) and to expand its 35-person team. Founded in January 2019 by Alex Hofmann and Joe Viola, 9count follows a multi-product development model of testing, iterating, and cross-promoting apps. 9count is a multi-product mobile apps company founded by former musical.ly president Alex Hofmann that builds social and dating apps including Wink and the newly launched Spark. Wink is 9count’s most successful app, with millions of users and a 15-person content moderation team that operates 24/7. Spark is a dating app that soft-launched in hundreds of countries and climbed to No. 1 on the iOS App Store in Ireland and the Netherlands within a day. Spark presents people in a grid (rather than swiping), limits messaging to mutual likes, uses 24-hour request windows, and offers a subscription ($19.99/month with discounts for three- and 12-month plans). Both Wink and Spark employ safety measures including Hive AI moderation, a 24/7 trust and safety team, and Spark has hired a security expert to find bugs and vulnerabilities. The company was founded in 2018 and has raised $21.5 million in funding led by Redpoint and GGV Capital.

Total raised

$28M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Aug 2022