 | The topic of this articlemay not meet Wikipedia'snotability guidelines for products and services. Please help to demonstrate the notability of the topic by citingreliable secondary sources that areindependent of the topic and provide significant coverage of it beyond a mere trivial mention. If notability cannot be shown, the article is likely to bemerged,redirected, ordeleted. Find sources: "Convoz" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(January 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 | |
| Original author(s) | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | X Empire Inc. |
| Initial release | January 30, 2018; 7 years ago (2018-01-30) |
| Operating system | iOS,Android |
| Size | 59.6MB (iOS)[1] 50.22 MB (Android)[2] |
| Available in | English |
| License | Proprietary software withTerms of Use |
| Website | Convoz.com |
Convoz is an American onlinesocial networking service based inHouston, Texas, which focuses on creating public collaborative conversation through video. It was founded byHakeem Seriki and Glen Allison, under the parent company X Empire Inc. and was seeded byUpfront Ventures. The video-centric platform allows users to send 15-second clips directly to celebrities and they can then watch and choose which ones they want to respond to, sometimes broadcasting a message for all to see as well aslivestreaming to their followers.[3][4]
The startup has a total of seven employees, and has cultivated an undisclosed amount of seed funding fromGreycroft Ventures,Upfront Ventures,500 Startups, Precursor VC, Okapi Ventures, XG Ventures, and a roster ofangels includingJustin Kan,E-40 andSnoop Dogg.[5][6]
Convoz was announced to an investor and entrepreneur crowd at theUpfront Summit inLos Angeles by founderHakeem Seriki in January 2018, in an attempt to raise capital for the app. In the presentation, Seriki announced that the video-centric platform aims to be "the place where you go to talk to people." He wants Convoz to be an app where people converse face-to-face with celebrities.[7] It was revealed that Seriki approachSnoop Dogg to invest in the app, who also supported Seriki's presentation as well as rapperE-40 who was known for being an early investor inClubhouse.[8][9] The beta version of the app was officially released on January 30, 2018.[10]
The app was officially unveiled on June 6, 2018, and many celebrities includingSnoop Dogg,E-40,Big Boi,Trey Songz as well as sports players were using the app to communicate with fans.[11]
In May 2019, the app was noted for its format of having short video messages that other users can watch and respond to in a study which demonstrated thatviewers are more responsive to lightweight content such as snapshots and video clips.[12]
In June 2019, Seriki, E-40, and portfolio companyRepublic to invest $25,000 into a startup founded and managed by a woman or person of color as a marketing campaign to get more users to use the Convoz app. The conditions meant the entrants had to pitch their business idea on the Convoz app.[13] In November of the same year, both investors held another competition on the app but this time increasing their investment fund to $100,000. Republic again facilitated the competition andShark Tank starDaymond John served as a judge for the contest.[14][15] The winner of the competition was Pierre Laguerre and it was announced in January 2020. His startup idea was "Fleeting Pro", a company that links certified class A & B drivers to trucking companies for scheduled, on-demand transportation needs.[16]
As of 2023, Convoz operates with aninvite-only registration and has awaiting list for new users on the app.