Yik Yak
Yik Yak is an anonymous social networking mobile app that lets U.S. college students and general residents post, vote, and message within .edu-verified campus feeds and cross-campus interest-based communities, operated under Flower Ave LLC alongside Sidechat.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersNashville, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Yik Yak does
Yik Yak is an anonymous social networking mobile application serving U.S. college students and, more recently, general U.S. residents interested in topic-based communities. The platform enables users to post, comment, vote, and message within verified campus-specific feeds gated by .edu email verification, as well as within cross-campus interest communities accessible via phone number verification. It is positioned as the most popular anonymous app for U.S. college students, with active presence at NYU and nearly every major U.S. university campus.
The product is delivered as a free iOS app and a companion web platform (web.yikyak.com), operated under Flower Ave LLC alongside the affiliated Sidechat brand. Core technical components include anonymous posting infrastructure, a .edu-based college verification system, community-level content moderation with a downvoting threshold (-5 removes posts) and human review for reported content, and a multi-community architecture supporting large interest-based groups such as Confessions (650K+ members), Fantasy Football (152K+ members), and Astrology (135K+ members). Yik Yak merged with Sidechat in 2023, consolidating shared safety and moderation infrastructure.
The company is privately held and does not currently operate a disclosed revenue model: the app is free with no subscriptions or premium tiers, though a YikYak Ads site (yikyakforbusiness.com) signals early advertising intent. Distribution is mobile-first via the iOS App Store, supplemented by organic social presence on TikTok, Instagram, X, and Facebook, a campus ambassador program, and earned media. Headcount is reported at 11-50 employees. Under current ownership (Flower Ave LLC, which acquired the Yik Yak brand rights in February 2021 and relaunched the platform after the original 2013-2017 entity shut down due to moderation failures), the only disclosed capital event is a $6.25M Employee Stock Option Fund round in December 2021; the historical 2014 funding rounds totaling roughly $75M from Sequoia, Azure, DCM, and others are attributable to the prior entity and unrelated to the current business.
Yik Yak firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Yik Yak
- Legal name
- YIK YAK, INC.
- Website
- https://yikyak.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Yik Yak is an anonymous social networking mobile app that lets U.S. college students and general residents post, vote, and message within .edu-verified campus feeds and cross-campus interest-based communities, operated under Flower Ave LLC alongside Sidechat.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Yik Yak industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Networking
- akta.pro primary industry
- UGC Curation, Discovery & Analytics (trend tracking, creator analytics) (MPAFAIAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- UGC Moderation, Trust & Safety Platforms (MPACABAL)
Keywords
Where Yik Yak is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nashville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Yik Yak business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Free Platform: The app is currently free to download and use with no required subscriptions or hidden charges. Revenue model appears to be not yet established or relies on future monetization strategies.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free tier - Core app functionality |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
Yik Yak product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Yik Yak is a free, mobile-first anonymous social networking platform that enables college students and other U.S. users to post, comment, vote, and message within college-verified campus feeds and interest-based communities. College feeds require .edu email verification, while interest communities are accessible to any U.S. resident with a phone number, and the app is distributed via the iOS App Store and a companion web platform. The platform combines anonymity with campus-specific and cross-campus community engagement and is operated under Flower Ave LLC alongside sibling brand Sidechat.
Product overview
Yik Yak operates as a single unified anonymous social networking product focused on college campus communities. The platform consists of the Yik Yak mobile app (iOS) and web.yikyak.com for browsing public content. Users can join one college community matching their .edu email and multiple interest-based communities. The app enables anonymous posting, upvoting/downvoting, commenting, and optional direct messaging. Yik Yak is owned by Flower Ave LLC alongside its sibling brand Sidechat, with both platforms sharing moderation and safety systems.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Sidechat: A similar anonymous posting platform to Yik Yak, run by the same team with the same safety and moderation. Both apps differ in branding, design, and campus preferences.
Products and services
- Yik Yak Mobile App Free iOS app enabling anonymous posting, commenting, voting, and messaging within U.S. college campus feeds (requiring .edu email verification) and interest-based communities (accessible via phone number). Targets U.S. college students and general consumers seeking anonymous community engagement.
- Yik Yak Web Platform Web-based companion to the Yik Yak mobile app (web.yikyak.com) allowing users to browse public community content and discover interest-based communities. Serves existing app users and prospective users seeking to preview communities before downloading.
Companies that use Yik Yak
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Yik Yak technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Yik Yak partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- SidechatcoreSidechat and Yik Yak merged in 2023 under Flower Ave LLC ownership. Both apps are run by the same team with shared safety and moderation infrastructure. The combination strengthened Yik Yak's position as the leading anonymous app for U.S. college students.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Yik Yak competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Reddit: Community-based UGC platform with university and interest-based subreddits (e.g., r/college) reaching the same demographic. Larger and more general, but overlapping in campus and interest community use cases.
- Snapchat: Dominant social platform for U.S. college students with anonymous-friendly features (e.g., ephemeral messaging). Competes for the same Gen Z engagement and advertising budgets.
- Discord: Largest Gen Z community platform with interest-based servers serving a similar college-age audience. Differs in real-name/identity model and broader functionality, but competes for the same engagement time.
Direct peers
- tbh (Kindred Labs / Meta): Former anonymous polling app for teens acquired by Facebook/Meta in 2017. Closest historical comparable for an anonymous Gen Z app achieving rapid scale and subsequent strategic exit.
- Gas (Polaris): Anonymous polling app built specifically for high school and college students. Competes directly for Gen Z anonymous social engagement time with a polls-first format.
- Sarahah: Anonymous feedback app that achieved rapid Gen Z adoption. Comparable in product mechanic (anonymous posting) and audience, illustrating both the upside and volatility of anonymous social apps.
- Yolo (anonymous Q&A): Anonymous Q&A app popular among teens and Gen Z. Shares the anonymous social networking model and audience overlap with Yik Yak, though focused on Q&A rather than local campus feeds.
- Whisper: Long-running anonymous confessions and social network. Competes for anonymous UGC engagement, though skews older and broader than Yik Yak's college-only focus.
- Sidechat: Sister anonymous college community app now operated under the same Flower Ave LLC ownership as Yik Yak following the 2023 merger. Both share moderation infrastructure and target the same .edu-verified college demographic with near-identical functionality.
- Curious Cat: Anonymous Q&A social platform popular with Gen Z users. Shares the anonymous social networking model and overlapping teen/college demographic with Yik Yak.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks2 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Yik Yak social profiles
Digital presenceYik Yak financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Yik Yak leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Yik Yak funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors10 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Yik Yak M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Yik Yak
What does Yik Yak do?
Yik Yak is a free, mobile-first anonymous social networking platform that enables college students and other U.S. users to post, comment, vote, and message within college-verified campus feeds and interest-based communities. College feeds require .edu email verification, while interest communities are accessible to any U.S. resident with a phone number, and the app is distributed via the iOS App Store and a companion web platform. The platform combines anonymity with campus-specific and cross-campus community engagement and is operated under Flower Ave LLC alongside sibling brand Sidechat.
Is Yik Yak a public or private company?
Yik Yak is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Yik Yak founded?
Yik Yak was founded in 2021. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Yik Yak based?
Yik Yak is headquartered in Nashville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Yik Yak make money?
One revenue line is on record: free Platform.
Who are Yik Yak's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Reddit, Snapchat and Discord. Direct peers are tbh (Kindred Labs / Meta), Gas (Polaris), Sarahah, Yolo (anonymous Q&A), Whisper, Sidechat and Curious Cat.
Does Yik Yak have an API?
No public API is recorded for Yik Yak.
What industry is Yik Yak in?
Yik Yak's product category is Social Networking. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAIAK, UGC Curation, Discovery & Analytics (trend tracking, creator analytics), with a secondary code of MPACABAL, UGC Moderation, Trust & Safety Platforms.