In an unexpected twist in the social media landscape, ‘ZAPPY‘, an AI-driven social application, has taken Korea by storm, amassing over 250,000 users, known as ‘ZAPPYers’, and facilitating more than 10 million conversations in merely two months since its launch in Korea. This achievement is particularly noteworthy given the prevailing dominance of established global tech behemoths in Korea’s communication and social networking app market.
Originating from the innovative minds at TWO Platforms, a global AI start-up initiated in 2021 by the celebrated “star scientist” Pranav Mistry, ZAPPY has quickly become a favourite. Headquartered in Silicon Valley with branches across Korea and India, TWO Platforms is on a mission to craft user-centric, personalised AI services. ZAPPY, their flagship AI messaging and social application, has seen a warm reception, particularly in Korea, where it first appeared as an iOS app in October 2023, followed by an Android version in early 2024.
The Driving Force Behind TWO Platforms
TWO Platforms has been in the limelight for its “global dream team”, led by Pranav Mistry, including CTO Abhijit Bendale, VP of AI & Machine Learning Michael Sapienza, among others, who bring a wealth of experience from leading corporations such as Samsung Electronics, Google, Sony, and Microsoft. This team’s profound expertise and track record have played a pivotal role in attracting substantial investment and building a robust advisory board featuring industry stalwarts like YouTube co-founder Steve Chen and MIT Professor Pattie Maes.
ZAPPY’s Early Milestones and Future Vision
Within a short span, ZAPPY has differentiated itself by offering an integrated platform for messaging and social networking, connecting users with both real and AI-generated friends. Features such as “Magic Chat”, a vast library of “Zapmoji” emoticons, and the “Moment” tab for content exploration have propelled ZAPPY to significant early success.
At the core of ZAPPY’s technology are TWO Platforms’ proprietary AI engine, GENIE, and the reality synthesis engine, HALO-2, which together deliver a dynamic and personalised user experience.
Expanding Beyond Korea
TWO Platforms views Korea as a pivotal market, tapping into the global K-wave phenomenon and the trend-setting Korean Gen Z demographic. With plans to expand into the vast Indian market and beyond, ZAPPY’s initial success in Korea is just the beginning of a broader strategy to harness AI in redefining global digital communication.
Pranav Mistry, CEO of TWO Platforms, emphasizes the transformative potential of AI, stating: “AI is evolving as the most transformative technology since the internet. We believe in harnessing the power of AI to revolutionize communication in the digital world. As a user-centric company, we are committed to making our AI technology accessible to various companies developing AI products.”
