We have a new Secret 🙊

Remember Secret? In 2014 it quickly became one of the fastest growing social apps… and also the most controversial. The app allowed users to post photos and words anonymously. It was novel; felt fresh. The company went on to raise $35M and inspired a wave of anonymous apps (many of which are no longer around).

But what made it special, also caused its downfall. The shield of anonymity enabled trolling – and it only takes a few bad actors – without recourse and quickly the company came under heavy criticism.

On Product Hunt, co-founder Chrys Bader, explained the purpose of the app:

"There seems to be a lot of misinformation here. Secret was never about posting secrets. It's always been about giving people a safe place to say what's on their mind while keeping their privacy. AKA sharing secretly."

Secret eventually shuttered in 2015 but the mission was nobel and while challenging, there’s still an opportunity to create a social network where people can share their true thoughts without risk of losing their job[1] or worse (in some parts of the world). At least that’s what the founders of a new app believe.

October launched last week with a similar mission. Its CEO, Paul Bohm, described their purpose:

"We’re a social network built by experienced economists, security researchers and mathematicians. Our goal is to create 1) a safe environment for good discussion, and 2) a place that increases in quality as more people join."


If Secret and Twitter had a baby, it would be October. The app borrows Secret's photo-based expression but with a Twitter-like following model. Unlike Secret, users can post anonymously OR using their real identity. To incentivize positive behavior, users earn coins when posting good content, which we anticipate will power a new wave of functionality as the community matures.

So far the app seems to have avoided the abuse that plagued Secret, although October hasn't hit scale… yet. Until then, check it out.

[1] Will my tweets get me fired? is an app that will scan your timeline for questionable tweets.

Back by popular demand, 2019's Breakout List of hot startups is now live. You might recognize several of these companies from their Product Hunt launch earlier in the year. 🚀