Jodel
7 known investors
Jodel is a hyperlocal community platform where users connect anonymously with people in their geographic area to share tips, news, and stories. The platform serves Gen Z and young professionals, offering brand advertising, HR campaigns, and market research capabilities.
Also known as The Jodel Venture GmbH
Founders & leadership
Investors · 7
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Jodel is a location-based social networking application that lets users post and read short anonymous messages, called "Jodels," within their local area. Users do not maintain profiles; content is surfaced based on proximity, forming community feeds of tips, news and stories shared by nearby users. The app is distributed through the Apple App Store and Google Play and is operated by The Jodel Venture GmbH.
Alongside the consumer app, Jodel offers an advertising business aimed at brands seeking to reach Generation Z and Millennial audiences. The company states that 90% of its community consists of students and young professionals, and it markets brand campaigns, HR/recruiting ads and market research, using both standard ad formats and native ad units designed to match the app's format.
Founding story
Jodel was founded by Alessio Avellan Borgmeyer, who serves as CEO and who left studies at RWTH Aachen and San Diego State University.
Business model
Jodel operates a free consumer social app and monetises through advertising sold to brands, including brand campaigns, HR advertising and market research offerings delivered via standard and native ad formats.
Advertising sold to brands and employers targeting the app's user base, using classic ad formats as well as native ads styled to the Jodel feed.
Traction
The company reports that 90% of its community are students and young professionals, and lists brands that advertise on the platform.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography
Market position
Positioned as a hyperlocal, anonymity-focused community platform; classified in the consumer apps and social sector alongside companies such as Yik Yak and Nextdoor.
Combines anonymity (no user profiles) with strict geographic locality, creating feeds specific to a user's immediate surroundings rather than a follower graph.
Technology
A mobile application for iOS and Android that groups users and content by geographic proximity and supports anonymous posting without user profiles.
Go-to-market
Consumer distribution through mobile app stores with community-driven local adoption, paired with a direct advertising offering promoted through the company's own Jodel Ads pages.
On the user side, people seeking hyperlocal anonymous community content, predominantly students and young professionals in the Gen Z and Millennial age groups; on the commercial side, brands and employers wanting to reach those audiences.
Geography
Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, with the company describing a global Jodel community and offering its site and support materials in German and English.
Compiled by commissioned research from 6 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Competitors · 2
by search overlap
Companies competing with Jodel for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
In the news
▸Research sources · 6
primary sources listed
- Jodeljodel.com · web
6 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Jodel do?
- Jodel is a hyperlocal, anonymous social networking app that connects users with people in their immediate area.
- Who founded Jodel?
- Jodel was founded by Alessio Avellan Borgmeyer.
- Who are Jodel's investors?
- Jodel's investors include BLN Capital, Floodgate, Kima Ventures, RubyLight, Tomahawk.VC, 10x Founders, redalpine.