HOOD: The App That's Taking Twitter, Reddit, and LinkedIn by Storm

HOOD at Shark Tank India pitched a jaw-dropping valuation of 600 crores. They happen to have the support of India's top investors, including PayTM, Cred, Lenskart, Oyo, Boat, Ashneer Grover, and others.

Curious to explore more, we met Abhishek, also known as Gabbbar Singh, and Jasveer Singh, the co-founders of the social media app - HOOD.

But what is HOOD?

It's a fusion of anonymous platforms like Confession Pages and ask.fm, it's like a mix of Twitter and Reddit, but proudly MADE IN INDIA.

On HOOD, you can keep your identity pseudonymous, meaning almost anonymous. You can create groups and topics for everything from open salaries to political opinions, and fearlessly share your ideas.

In other words, HOOD is a powerful social media platform that champions free speech.

So, what's the deal with HOOD, you ask? Well, it's solving the problem of creating an even playing field where everyone can express their ideas without revealing their real identity. This allows for all types of expression, and encourages inclusion. Plus, HOOD recognizes that life is full of shades of grey - it's not just black and white. Listening to this, I went on a spree to find out the most popular topics and groups on HOOD.

• First up, we've got Darkest Memes - because let's be real, who doesn't love a good meme?

• Then we've got Salary Comparisons and Offer Letters, because money talks, right? "You know how it is - when it comes to money, people tend to get a bit more private. It's kind of like the dating scene - things can get a bit tricky to talk about." said Jasveer.

• Talking about dating, we've got a Tinder Group - a place to anonymously dish on all those wild dating experiences.

Moving forward, Aditya Bose our reddit veteran asked Abhishek - one of the co-founders of HOOD who is an OG Twitter and Reddit user, what sets HOOD apart from those other social media giants. Also, were these popular groups on HOOD user-created or did someone have to set the ball rolling? To which Abhishek had a pretty insightful answer. According to him, the market for anonymous social media is huge and untapped. Almost 18% of the total social media users are anonymous. Even Abhishek aka Gabbar Singh himself goes by a pseudonymous identity on twitter. He mentions there is a need for people to discuss ideas more openly and anonymously.

Sure, there are things that the founders like and dislike about Twitter and Reddit, but with HOOD, their goal is to make the platform so user-friendly that people create their own unique use cases. With HOOD, it's all about the users. The whole point is to create an environment where people feel comfortable sharing their ideas and expressing themselves.

Coming to the burning question. Shaurya Bora asked the HOOD team,
Why the valuation of 600 crore?

"We knew that when people hear our valuation of 600 crores on Shark Tank, some would be quick to criticize and troll us. But that's the nature of the game. In fact, we believe that all the noise and attention that comes with it is just free marketing for us." As Jasveer said, it's all about relevance.

"We wanted to do something extreme, either extremely positive or negative, to create a buzz and get people talking. Ultimately, our goal is to clearly convey our proposition and make our platform stand out in a crowded social media landscape. It's not always easy, but we're up for the challenge. At the end of the day, we believe that creating a platform where people can share their ideas freely and anonymously is worth all the turbulence and noise", added Abhishek.

HOOD has hit 1 million downloads! And I know what you're thinking - how many of those users are actually active? Well, as of now, they've got around 60,000 daily active users. So, here's the deal with HOOD - it's got discussions like Reddit, but with a format similar to Twitter. But instead of threads like Reddit, they've adopted a LinkedIn-style post format. It's kind of like the best of all worlds. You get the community-driven discussions of Reddit, with the easy-to-navigate format of Twitter, and the vibes of LinkedIn.

After hearing the founders of HOOD talk about their vision and the platform they've created, it seems like they have a unique perspective on social media. It's refreshing to see a platform that prioritizes free speech and encourages users to share their ideas without fear of judgment or backlash.

But what struck me most was their emphasis on creating an inclusive environment. HOOD allows users to keep their identity anonymous or pseudonymous, which fosters an environment of open expression and acceptance. This is especially important in a world where people can be quick to judge and dismiss others based on their identities.

In addition, HOOD's focus on user-friendliness is noteworthy. The founders recognize that the success of their platform ultimately depends on the users, and so they've made it a priority to create a space where users feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas.

Overall, HOOD is more than just another social media platform. It's a space where users can feel empowered to express themselves, connect with others, and learn from different perspectives. It's a refreshing change from the often-toxic environment of other social media platforms, and I'm excited to see how it continues to evolve and grow in the future.