Swiss startup Angle launches clubhouse alternative: social audio app is now live

The global social audio platform Angle  has now officially launched its audio-based group conversation app on iOS, Android, and the web. The iOS, Android and web apps now available worldwide. This follows the successful completion of the first pre-seed funding round, led by Atlantic Labs December 2020.

After extensive beta testing last year and a successful pre-seed funding round with Atlantic Labs and other investors in late 2020, the iOS, Android and web apps are now available worldwide.

In the Angle app, users can discover conversations and actively join them as a participant or just listen silently without having to interact. Anyone who wants to can also start their own conversation on any topic at any time, providing a platform for exchanging ideas and good conversation. Topics range from purely social, personal, or entertaining exchanges to casual audio meetups with like-minded people to career-related or academic lectures by experts. The app offers features such as screen sharing during a conversation and a text chat function to share links or thoughts in writing as well. Furthermore, participants have the possibility to visually celebrate other users in order to express agreement. Features like these are intended to intentionally reinforce inclusivity, intimacy, and authenticity.

"Endless scrolling through crowded feeds often makes social networks an unproductive time eater. We want to give users* the opportunity to feel understood and connected, and to learn something new through real human interaction in relevant audio conversations," explains CEO and co-founder Matthias D. Strodtkoetter. "With Angle, we want to create an experience that leaves you with the comforting feeling that you've invested your time wisely."

The initial idea for the platform was born in 2019 from a realization by Strodtkötter that a personal exchange often provides a deeper understanding of a new topic than a web search. In addition, there is the human aspect of a personal conversation and the experience that the right conversation at the right time can change everything. However, professional expert networks are expensive and existing social networks are not always helpful or enriching. That's where Angle comes in.

The founders

The three founders, Matthias D. Strodtkoetter, Valerius Huonder and Matthias Karg previously met at ETH Juniors in Switzerland and at the Zurich-based startup Beekeeper, and began working on the Angle platform in early 2020.