The latest entry into the increasingly crowded social media space is the Clubhouse app. Once you’re given an invitation to this currently exclusive audio app, described on its website as “a new type of social product based on voice,” you have access to virtual rooms where you can talk tech, play trivia, sit in on panels and virtually hobnob with the likes of Drake, Jared Leto and even Oprah Winfrey. If you want a preview of what you can expect when you get your invitation, check out our resident techie Barnes and Cubby taking us behind the velvet ropes and into the exclusive app in this clip.
Developed by Silicon Valley entrepreneur Paul Davison and ex-Google employee Rohan Seth, the Clubhouse app was launched in April of last year. One month later, the app received approximately $12 million in funding from US capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and continued to grow, with estimates that there are currently around 600,000 users.
Since its launch, the content available on the Clubhouse app has expanded and now, in addition to hosting discussions between venture capitalists, you can explore the virtual hallways of the app and find celebrity talk shows, DJ nights, networking events, speed dating, theatrical performances and political discussions. The app allows people to listen in or participate in real-time chats, collaborate, and connect with people and professionals outside of your industry or niche.
One thing the Clubhouse app has that the others don’t is that while other platforms focus on visual and written media, like Instagram pictures, YouTube videos and Tweets, Clubhouse delivers its content in an audio-only format. Another advantage to Clubhouse is that conversations can’t be saved or recorded through the app, empowering users, including celebrities, to talk more openly. And talk they do. Virtual room conversations visited and hosted by the likes of Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish have brought a bit of drama and have also become trending topics on Twitter and topics of discussion on Instagram.
While the Clubhouse app is still invitation-only, iPhone users can download the app from the Apple store and reserve a username. While the developers promise the app will have a wide public release in the near future, if you don’t get an invite from a friend or colleague, you’ll have to stay on the waiting list for a little while longer.
