9
9 Count
Consumer Services · Los Angeles, United States · Founded 2018
Enables to express the most authentic self through various digital media platforms MoreLess
9 Count Inc. is a mobile application company established in 2019 with a focus on creating platforms that foster human connection. The company was founded by Alex Hofmann, who previously served as the President of musical.ly (now TikTok), and Joe Viola, who handles day-to-day operations and product strategy. Hofmann's experience with the precursor to TikTok informs the company's strategic direction, particularly its focus on what he terms "private social networks".
The company operates in the social networking and mobile app market, targeting a broad consumer base, with a specific emphasis on Gen Z users for some of its products. Its business model appears to be centered on a freemium structure, generating revenue through in-app purchases and advertising. In 2022, the company was recognized as one of the top 50 most promising startups by The Information, and co-founder Joe Viola was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Consumer Technology in 2023. 9 Count has secured $27.5 million in funding from venture capital firms including Redpoint, GGV Capital, and Greycroft.
9 Count's portfolio includes a variety of applications designed for social interaction. Its flagship product, Wink, is a friend-discovery and dating app that facilitates over 50 million friendships per month. Wink operates with a swipe-based interface, allowing users to connect with others for friendship or dating. The company has expanded its portfolio through acquisitions, such as the queer social app Lex. Other apps developed by 9 Count include Soda for making new friends, Summer for dating, Juju for games, and Corgi for polls. The company's mission is to create positive and judgment-free online communities that enrich the user experience of social media interaction.
Keywords: mobile apps, social networking, friend discovery, dating apps, Gen Z, consumer technology, Alex Hofmann, Joe Viola, Wink app, Soda app, Lex app, Summer app, private social networks, in-app purchases, digital media, online communities, social connection, GGV Capital, Redpoint
Company overview
9 Count company information
The essential company record, classifications and operating signals in one place.
- Status
- Operational
- Founded
- 2018
- Headquarters
- Los Angeles, United States
- Employees
- 14
- Open positions
- None listed
- Dealroom signal
- 62.5
- Investment activity
- 1 companies · latest Sep 2024
- Capital deployed
- —
- Preferred round
- ACQUISITION
Valuation & funding
9 Count funding history
Company financing events and reported valuations.
| Deal type | Date | Amount | Valuation | Investors | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EARLY VC✓Equity / VC | Oct 2022 | $28M | $110M | Undisclosed | ↗ |
| SERIES A✓Equity / VC | Aug 2022 | $6M | $24M | Greycroft Partners · I2BF Global Ventures · Progression Fund · Notable Capital | ↗ |
| OtherOther financing | Nov 2020 | $0 | — | Waverley Capital | — |
| SEED✓Equity / VC | Jan 2019 | — | — | CRCM Ventures · Notable Capital | — |
Financials
Revenue and workforce over time
Available revenue and workforce history. Fields without reported data are omitted.
| Year | Revenue | Growth | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $2.8M | 0% | 14 |
| 2025 | $2.8M | 0% | 21 |
| 2024 | $2.8M | 0% | 22 |
| 2023 | $2.8M | 0% | 23 |
| 2022 | $2.8M | +133.3% | 26 |
| 2021 | $1.2M | — | 16 |
| 2020 | — | — | 14 |
Growth signals
9 Count website traffic
Latest recorded traffic for 9 Count is 250 monthly website visits, down 59% over the last three months. 9 Count's team declined 33.3% over the past year.
Comparisons
9 Count compared with similar companies
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Capital deployed
9 Count investments and acquisitions
Recent portfolio relationships for companies that also act as investors or acquirers.
Talent graph
9 Count's talent
Source: Dealroom Talent Intelligence.
Global footprint
Where 9 Count has talent and traffic
team presence
In the news
Latest news about 9 Count
Recent press, funding announcements, and product moves mentioning 9 Count — open to read from the original sources.
Market sentiment
What the market is saying about 9 Count
An AI-synthesized read of the highest-engagement posts about 9 Count on X over the past 7 days. We rank by likes & retweets, ignore corporate channels, and surface the themes that broke out from real people.
Reading the room on X — pulling top posts and synthesizing themes…
Source: X recent search ranked by engagement (likes + retweets) · Synthesis by Claude · Cached for 1 hour
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