Yobongo is a location-based real-time chat application. The startup launched officially in March and was one of the most talked about at SXSW in Austin, Texas.
Yobongo takes an interesting approach to chat. Users download the (iPhone only) app and they are placed in a ‘room’ with other users who are geographically near them. There is no need to ‘check-in’ in specific locations. Users can text the group or message someone in particular.
The startup received good initial reviews and a positive response from its first users in the US (New York, San Francisco and Texas). After launching the first demo, it secured $1.35 million in seed funding, to be used mostly in web development.
Its major challenges will be to overcome confidence and security issues – problems that come along with any chatting tool. They aim to sidestep that by monitoring accounts and confirming identities.
Group texting has been a hot topic within the startup world. Other competitors include GroupMe, textPlus and Beluga. The latter has recently been acquired by Facebook, which shows the interest of bigger players in this kind of technology. Yobongo has an Si score of 1.77 and it has grown 4.43 points over the past three months. It is expected to continue to grow as it takes it service to more locations.
Location will increasingly be embedded in all kinds of services, such as gaming, ecommerce or texting. In our latest report we look at ‘check-in services’ and analyse their future role in the location-based market. If you are interested in a specific sector or startup, we can easily provide you a bespoke report. Just ask us!