Voodoo acquires BeReal for €500 million

BeReal, the popular photo-sharing app known for its unique posting window, has been acquired by French app developer Voodoo for €500 million.

BeReal was the brainchild of French developers Alexis Barreyat and Kévin Perreau, launched in 2019. The app started gaining momentum in 2022 as users embraced its distinctive feature: a random, once-daily prompt to share photos with friends. This spontaneity and focus on authenticity resonated with many, leading to a rapid increase in its user base. Today, BeReal boasts over 40 million active users and ranks as one of the top social platforms in the USA, Japan, and France. Notably, half of the users in these countries engage with the app at least six days a week.

Alexandre Yazdi, Voodoo’s co-founder and CEO, expressed his enthusiasm for the acquisition in a press release. “BeReal achieved incredible user loyalty and growth, showing there is a universal need to share real, unfiltered experiences with close friends. We are very excited to bring our teams together and leverage Voodoo’s know-how and differentiated technologies to scale BeReal into the iconic social network for authenticity,” Yazdi stated.

Voodoo’s acquisition strategy aims to enhance BeReal by developing and introducing new features, alongside a renewed focus on growth through both organic and paid marketing efforts across various markets. Voodoo plans to utilize its extensive experience in building and scaling mobile products, as demonstrated with successful titles like Helix Jump, Mob Control, Block Jam 3D, and Wizz, to elevate BeReal’s presence and functionality in the competitive social media sphere.

“Voodoo has a proven track record of driving significant growth in mobile apps. Their resources and expertise will help bring BeReal on a sustainable growth path while continuing to deliver on its mission to create an authentic world that keeps you connected with the people you really care about,” said Alexis Barreyat, BeReal founder and CEO.

With the acquisition, BeReal’s leadership will see a change as well. Founder and CEO Alexis Barreyat will be stepping down, with Aymeric Roffé, the CEO of Voodoo-owned social app Wizz, set to take over the role.