BeReal sends you one notification per day at a random time, gives you two minutes to take a photo with both cameras, and that is the entire app. No filters, no likes, no followers count. It was the anti-Instagram, the antidote to performative social media — and Gen Z loved it for about six months before going back to Instagram. Voodoo acquired it for $500 million, which is either a steal or a bailout depending on how the next year goes.
Founded
2020
HQ
Paris, France
Total Raised
$90 Million
Founder
Alexis Barreyat and Kévin Perreau
Status
Acquired by Voodoo for ~$500M
Website
www.bereal.comTHE ORIGIN STORY
Alexis Barreyat, a French entrepreneur, was frustrated with how fake Instagram had become — everyone curating perfect lives with filters and poses. He wanted a social app that captured real moments, not performed ones.
BeReal launched in 2020 but exploded in mid-2022, becoming the #1 app in dozens of countries and reaching 73 million monthly active users. The two-minute timer and dual-camera mechanic forced authenticity.
College campuses were especially obsessed — the daily notification became a social ritual.
WHAT THEY ACTUALLY DO
BeReal is a photo-sharing app with one core mechanic: once a day, at a random time, all users get a notification. They have two minutes to take a photo using both front and back cameras simultaneously.
No filters, no editing. Posts disappear the next day.
The app was acquired by French gaming company Voodoo in 2024 for approximately $500 million. Voodoo plans to monetize through advertising and premium features.
THE PRODUCTS
BeReal app (daily dual-camera photo), RealMojis (photo reactions), Discovery feed, Memory calendar (past posts), BTS (bonus BeReals throughout the day)
HOW THEY GREW
Under Voodoo ownership: introduce advertising, add new features (messaging, stories, games) to increase daily engagement, retain the authenticity positioning while giving users more reasons to open the app. International expansion in markets where BeReal did not fully penetrate.
Leverage Voodoo's gaming expertise to add interactive elements.
THE HARD PART
Retention crater. After the viral summer of 2022, daily active users dropped sharply.
The novelty wore off — taking one photo a day is not enough to build a habit loop that competes with TikTok or Instagram's infinite scroll. The app also struggled to monetize — no ads, no commerce, no creator economy.
Voodoo's acquisition was essentially a rescue that valued the brand and remaining user base.
MONEY TRAIL
Series A
2022 · Led by
$30M raised
Series B
2022 · Led by
$60M raised
WHO BACKED THEM
Accel, DST Global, Yuri Milner, Andreessen Horowitz, Kima Ventures. Acquired by Voodoo for $500M in 2024.
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