Blue Fever Acquires Trill: Anonymous Social Network Expands

The Acquisition of Trill by Blue Fever: A Focus on Teen Mental Health

Current discussions surrounding teen mental health and social media are significantly amplified by recent Senate hearings and document releases. However, Georgia Messinger and Ari Sokolov, Gen Z entrepreneurs, have proactively worked towards fostering healthier online environments since their high school years. This led to the creation of Trill, an anonymous virtual support application.

The Genesis of Trill

Messinger, currently an undergraduate at Harvard, explained to TechCrunch the origins of their venture. “The question we frequently receive is, ‘How did you decide to become entrepreneurs while still students?’” she stated. “Our initial goal wasn’t to launch a business, but rather to address a challenge faced by a friend. A friend who identified as bisexual was experiencing difficulties with coming out, and we aimed to develop an alternative to conventional social networks – what is now termed ‘emotional media.’ It began as a passion project that ultimately exceeded our expectations.”

Through organic marketing efforts, Trill has garnered over 100,000 downloads. The app facilitates anonymous support groups centered around topics like identity, mental wellbeing, and relationships. Supported by approximately $100,000 in seed funding from programs such as Founders Bootcamp and Target Incubator, Trill assembled a team of 30 part-time employees – primarily high school and college students – alongside a network of over 100 volunteer moderators.

Exploring Acquisition Opportunities

During the summer of 2019, the founders, while still students, began exploring potential acquisition opportunities. Messinger clarified, “Our intention was to remain open to other pursuits, fully enjoy our college experience, and prioritize our own mental health – avoiding a full-time commitment alongside other life demands.” She added, “However, as it is now October 2021, we weren’t in any rush.”

Recognizing the importance of their user base, Messinger and Sokolov sought an acquirer aligned with their core mission: to cultivate supportive online communities for young individuals. Simultaneously, Greta McAnany was seeking avenues to expand Blue Fever’s reach among Gen Z users. Blue Fever is an anonymous social network that champions authenticity and community support.

Blue Fever's Vision and Funding

With McAnany serving as CEO and co-founder, Blue Fever has secured $4.2 million in venture capital from investors including Amazon Alexa Fund, Bumble Fund, and Serena Williams.

McAnany wasn’t actively pursuing an acquisition, but she expressed to TechCrunch that her impression of Trill’s founders led her to seek collaboration. “I will always remember meeting Georgia in person and her explanation of ‘the future of emotional media’ – our preferred term over social media,” McAnany recounted. “I was deeply impressed and immediately recognized the need to integrate them into our leadership team, as well as incorporate their thriving community and user base.”

The Acquisition and Transition

The financial details of the acquisition remain undisclosed. However, Trill will now incentivize its users to transition to Blue Fever. Trill will cease operations by the end of October. As part of the transition, Messinger and Sokolov will join Blue Fever as advisors, focusing on product development and audience strategy.

They will also spearhead a Junior Advisory Board, collaborating with hundreds of beta testers to provide feedback on the app’s features. Ari Sokolov, now a student at the USC Iovine and Young Academy’s Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation program, stated, “I’ve been working closely with Blue Fever’s head of product, and I believe we share a common vision for the product’s future, aiming to replicate the existing experience with some feature enhancements.”

Messinger concurred, adding, “Even if the core user experience differs, the underlying principles remain consistent.”

Blue Fever's Features and Safety Measures

Both Blue Fever and Trill are anonymous platforms. Blue Fever allows users to create “pages,” akin to iPhone notes, where they can share their vulnerabilities, achievements, concerns, and thoughts. These pages are organized into “journals,” themed collections addressing topics such as college life, relationships, gender identity, positive experiences, and loneliness.

To mitigate negativity and protect personal information, Blue Fever currently limits responses to “hugs” or GIFs. However, McAnany indicated that the app will be testing the implementation of commenting features. The app also utilizes an AI, named Blue, which McAnany describes as a “big sibling,” assisting users in discovering relevant content and providing resources for those expressing potential harm.

Blue Fever also employs human moderators to maintain platform safety. As Blue Fever’s user base expands with the influx from Trill, the scalability of its combined human and AI moderation system will be crucial.

Addressing the Landscape of Mental Health Apps

Apps like Blue Fever and Trill are not intended as replacements for professional mental healthcare, nor do they aim to compete with established platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, or Instagram. These platforms seek to provide support for Gen Z users who are dissatisfied with traditional social media, but anonymous platforms have a history of challenges online.

Messinger emphasized, “Ari and I have always acknowledged that our solution may not be perfect and that better alternatives may exist. We are not fixated on our specific solution; we value Trill, but we are more committed to resolving the underlying problem.”

Anonymous social apps, such as Snapchat’s Yolo and LMK, and Ask.fm, have been associated with tragic outcomes, while Whisper experienced data breaches. Blue Fever and Trill differentiate themselves by prioritizing mental health considerations in their design. However, as Blue Fever introduces commenting and integrates the Trill user base, its ability to ensure user safety will be rigorously tested.

McAnany stated that Blue Fever does not store personally identifiable information (PII) alongside user-generated content and does not maintain a public API, which was a vulnerability exploited in data leaks from apps like Whisper.

Messinger concluded, “We embrace technology. We are coders and computer scientists, and we don’t reject our phones. We enjoy social media. It’s about establishing healthy boundaries and continually questioning how new spaces can intervene to support Gen Z, particularly marginalized communities within it.”