Jodel
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
Jodel firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Jodel
- Legal name
- The Jodel Venture GmbH
- Website
- https://jodel.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Jodel industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Networking
- NAICS
- Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Marketing Technology, AdTech & MarTech Services (BPAFAAAN)
Keywords
Where Jodel is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Jodel business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Advertising (Brand Campaigns): Jodel generates revenue by offering brand advertising opportunities to businesses. The platform enables brands to reach its young demographic (Gen Z and Y, primarily students and young professionals) through various ad formats including brand campaigns, HR ads, and native advertising styled to match the Jodel experience.
- In-App Purchases and Subscriptions: The app offers premium features through in-app purchases including JodelPLUS and JodelPRO subscriptions. Users can purchase virtual items (limited, personal, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable license). Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled through the app store.
- Market Research: Jodel offers market research capabilities to brands and advertisers, providing insights into the年轻 demographic on the platform.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free Tier - Basic App Usage |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Virtual Items |
| Subscription | Monthly | JodelPLUS Subscription |
| Subscription | Monthly | JodelPRO Subscription |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Jodel product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Jodel operates a mobile-first hyperlocal anonymous social media platform that connects users instantly with people in their immediate vicinity for sharing messages, images, and videos, governed by a community karma and voting system. The platform monetizes through brand advertising campaigns, HR recruitment ads, and market research services (Jodel Business) targeting its Gen Z and Y user base, complemented by in-app virtual item purchases and premium subscriptions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Jodel App Hyperlocal anonymous social media mobile app connecting users with people in their immediate vicinity. Users can share messages, images, and videos with nearby users, view local posts, upvote/downvote content, join topic channels, and engage in private chat. No profile system; identity is location-based via a random user hash.
- Jodel Business (Brand Advertising) Advertising product enabling brands to run tailored brand campaigns on the Jodel platform to reach its Gen Z and Y audience (claimed 90% students and young professionals). Supports brand campaigns with ad formats styled to match the Jodel experience.
- Jodel Business (HR Campaigns) Recruitment advertising service allowing companies to post job listings and HR-focused content to the Jodel student and young professional community for talent acquisition.
- Jodel Business (Market Research) Market research offering providing brands and advertisers with insights into the Jodel community's young demographic through surveys and engagement data.
- Virtual Items (In-App Purchases) Virtual in-app items that users can purchase via the Jodel app. Items are licensed on a limited, personal, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable basis to enhance user experience within the platform.
Companies that use Jodel
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Jodel technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration11 records
AI capability6 records
Feature7 records
Jodel partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Vamos!moderateJodel acquired the student app Vamos! from Cologne, Germany. The acquisition was structured as an asset deal, with founder Jan Hecker joining Jodel's product team and acquiring an ownership stake. The acquisition aimed to help Jodel innovate and attract German users amid declining local awareness of the platform, specifically enhancing features such as organizing meetups.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Jodel competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Yik Yak: Anonymous, location-bounded social app targeted at college students. Most direct comparable to Jodel on product (anonymous posting, GPS-bound feed, student demographic) and on GTM (campus-by-campus community-led growth), and even shares historical setbacks around moderation and local awareness that Jodel is now navigating.
- Nextdoor: Hyperlocal community platform organized around neighborhoods rather than universities. Comparable to Jodel on the location-bounded feed mechanic, the reliance on local network effects, and the B2B advertising monetization against a tightly defined local audience.
- Whisper: Anonymous social-sharing app focused on confessions and community engagement. Shares Jodel's anonymous-by-default identity model and reliance on community voting/moderation, though Whisper's geographic bounding is weaker than Jodel's.
- Citizen: Location-based real-time safety and community app. Comparable to Jodel on the hyperlocal feed product mechanic and on monetizing a defined local audience with premium brand integrations, but Citizen skews older and toward safety alerts rather than student socializing.
- Blind: Anonymous professional community app. Comparable to Jodel on the anonymity-as-product mechanic, on B2B HR/recruitment advertising monetization, and on the young-professional demographic, though Blind is workplace- rather than geography-bounded.
Broad incumbents
- Reddit: Community-driven platform with topic-specific feeds and voting-based content curation. Overlaps with Jodel on karma/upvote-driven content moderation and on monetizing engaged communities via advertising, but operates at vastly larger scale and is not location-bounded or anonymous.
- Discord: Community and chat platform widely used for university and student group communications. Competes with Jodel for the same student demographic's time and uses topic/community channels (a parallel to Jodel's Channels feature), though Discord is identity-based and globally rather than hyperlocally organized.
- Snapchat: Major mobile-first social platform with strong Gen Z reach and location features (Snap Map, local content). Comparable to Jodel as a peer-pressure incumbent that absorbs hyperlocal Gen Z mindshare and competes for the same ad budgets Jodel sells to brands like Aldi and MTV.
Emerging players
- Gas (anonymous polling app): Anonymous social polling app popular with US high-school and college users. Overlaps with Jodel on anonymous Gen Z engagement and on polling/voting as a core mechanic, and signals the broader category of lightweight anonymous social tools competing for student attention.
- Locket Widget: Mobile-first social widget targeting Gen Z with intimate, friend-only sharing. Comparable to Jodel as a mobile-native, youth-focused social product, though Locket is profile-based and friend-graph-bounded rather than hyperlocal and anonymous.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Jodel social profiles
Digital presenceJodel compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Jodel financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Jodel leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Jodel subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Jodel funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Jodel M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Jodel
What does Jodel do?
Jodel operates a mobile-first hyperlocal anonymous social media platform that connects users instantly with people in their immediate vicinity for sharing messages, images, and videos, governed by a community karma and voting system. The platform monetizes through brand advertising campaigns, HR recruitment ads, and market research services (Jodel Business) targeting its Gen Z and Y user base, complemented by in-app virtual item purchases and premium subscriptions.
Is Jodel a public or private company?
Jodel is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Jodel founded?
Jodel was founded in 2014. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Jodel based?
Jodel is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Jodel make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Advertising (Brand Campaigns) is the primary driver. The others are in-App Purchases and Subscriptions and market Research.
Who are Jodel's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Yik Yak, Nextdoor, Whisper, Citizen and Blind. Broad incumbents are Reddit, Discord and Snapchat. Emerging players are Gas (anonymous polling app) and Locket Widget.
Does Jodel have an API?
No public API is recorded for Jodel.
What industry is Jodel in?
Jodel's product category is Social Networking. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAAAN, Marketing Technology, AdTech & MarTech Services. Its NAICS code is 5418 and its SIC code is 7310.