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Maya Watson and Lexi Nisita , cobalt - founder of a young social app called why ? ! , met when they both worked at Netflix . They had one of those favorable co - worker relationships , where they laughed , and just vibed .
They were on the streaming giant ’s brand name and editorial team and found that their skills complement each other . “ We are also both from Minnesota , ” Watson enunciate . “ We just go together . ”
The twosome moved on to Clubhouse , where Watson was employee figure 13 and Nisita was employee routine 20 . There they also build out the social political program ’s column and trade name squad , but more than a year into the job , they leave to become co - founders .
“ The workplace just start to feel more dull , empty and less fulfilling , ” Watson say . They wanted to fix that .
The resolution iswhy ? ! , a new conversation app that ’s part message app , part connection app and part dating app . The founder annunciate on Wednesday that they ’ve raised $ 1.65 million in a pre - seed round , lead by Charles Hudson , managing partner and father of Precursor Ventures .
The app comes in the midst of what experts are calling America ’s “ loneliness epidemic , ” in which mass have come to finger more apart and disconnect from the people around them .
why ? ! seeks to help oneself people link .
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“ We ’ve interviewed and worked with some therapists and psychologist that helped us understand some of the fundamental factors of closeness , ” Watson said , saying that people want to be in reciprocal , deep and trustworthy relationships .
There are already so many societal medium apps on the market , but why ? ! hopes to stand out from the pack with its “ simplicity and its intimacy . ” It ’s currently in private beta modality with plans to officially launch in the downfall . It features question board games that can be played by users in private chats ; a daily head at the top of the home provender ; a FaceTime - like feature for people to chat ; and a weekly prompt that asks people what they are presently up to .
The name idea add up from the app ’s header of engineering , Cody Zhang . “ We were search for something that felt like an undefendable - over question , ” Nisita said . “ The most common and unfathomed question you could ask anyone is … why ? And then ask it again , and again . ”
Watson also said the fundraising process was “ oddly delicious ” with no repulsion account . “ Our cap table is awe-inspiring , ” Watson said . “ As women and a founder of color , we feel exceedingly fortunate and privilege that we were able to attract investors that we care , we intrust , we palpate secure with , who each wreak singular soundness and perspective . ”
She state at this phase , investors are betting on her and Nisita as founders . They had somewhat of a rolling pre - seed round and started garner capital formally last summertime . They met Hudson , the investor who lead the round , through a friend who is in Hudson ’s portfolio . Barclays Black Formation Investments pull off by Zeal Capital Partners , Virginie Raphael from FullCircle and Mohammad Almalkawi , the CTO of Clubhouse , also take part in the round .
Being a founder is a long way from the incarnate cushion of a 9 - 5 . Watson call it an escapade , “ the ultimate quest and expedition . ” For them , working at Clubhouse was like have a PhD in startups , they said .
“ There was so much aid and competition at the time that some of the most important moral we learn was to tune out the noise , downplay external distraction , keep your principal down and concenter on your drug user and your mission , ” Watson said , adding that Netflix taught them the importance of create a good workings environment . “ Normally startup do n’t opine about culture this early on , but because of our clock time there , we prioritize it now . We need to build the proper condition for succeeder . ”
Right now , there are four full - metre people , let in Watson , Zhang , Nisita and mathematical product railroad engineer Kam Robinson , at the company and they are desire to hire more engineering support as the app formally launches and grows its user base .
This account was update to reflect the names of those on the team .
