Are you seeing too many ads on social media?

It’s been like this for years. 2014 was when I first thought of creating an alternative solution where we aren’t constantly being sold to, and can just stay updated on what friends are up to.

We called it Wibe. (I can’t remember where the name came from but my best guess is it’s a portmanteau of We and Vibe? Will ask my cousin). But, we couldn’t pull it off. I couldn’t code. My co-founder couldn’t code. We met a guy who we paid and met with weekly in a cafe who we realized after a while couldn’t code either. It ended there.

10 years later (last year), as I was about to start a fund to invest in consumer/social startups that care about healthier social and mental health, and as I was researching on Crunchbase, I came across Wibe. I realized I’ve literally been thinking about this space for a decade.

It was time. Difference now is I’ve got the team, the network, and resources. I had also just wrapped my time as the head of startup pipeline at Techstars - so I set out raise $500K with pitch-deck, ended up being oversubscribed and got over $1M+ and that’s when Favs was founded.

There needs to be another way. We don’t need to see ads all day everyday on our newsfeeds. On the radio. From our cars. 7,000 times a day the average American is sold to. 7,000 times we’re told what we have isn’t enough. 7,000 times a day we’re a transaction and not a human connection.

Many Gen Z and Millennial consumers are getting increasingly turned off by social media ads, with more and more people pointing to overconsumption and a growing distrust of influencers. Last year, around 40% of Americans made purchases through social media, with 23% spending over $1,000. But now, 69% of shoppers—88% of them Gen Z—are saying they've been "de-influenced" and are holding back from making purchases.

Thankfully, we’ve found a way we can make social media fun, yet sustainable. Yes, we’ll make deepen friendships. And also make money, in a fair and reasonable way. No ads. No brands. No influencers. Just updates from friends and people who matter. We launch in a month. I think you’re going to like it.