A new social platform is making waves with Gen Z, and it’s not from tech giants like Meta. San Francisco-based startup Airbuds is blending music and social interaction in a unique way, allowing users to share what they’re listening to directly with friends through a smartphone widget that integrates with popular streaming services.
On Wednesday, the company announced it has raised $5 million in funding from Seven Seven Six, the venture capital firm founded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
Since its quiet debut, Airbuds has seen remarkable traction — over 15 million downloads and 5 million monthly active users, with 1.5 million opening the app daily. According to data from Appfigures, the app has also maintained a stellar 96% positive rating across more than 9,400 reviews in the past month.
At its core, Airbuds lets users express themselves through music while connecting with friends. The widget automatically shares the songs users are streaming in real time, removing the friction of manually curating playlists. It currently supports Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud, Musi, Deezer, Amazon Music, and Audiomack.
Founded by Gilles Poupardin and Gawen Arab, both experienced in social and audio-based startups, Airbuds builds on their previous projects such as Cappuccino — a social audio app that let friends create short podcast-like clips. The founders recognized that while major streaming platforms offer vast libraries of music, none have mastered the social and identity-driven aspect of listening.
Beyond its core widget, Airbuds has evolved into a more interactive social space. Users can react to songs with emojis, stickers, or selfies, chat within the app, or view personalized features like a Weekly Recap of their top streamed songs. A “ghost mode” also lets users listen privately when desired.
The company plans to use its new funding to expand integrations, explore artist-to-fan features, and develop tools that appeal to older users. With a total of $10 million raised to date, Airbuds aims to redefine how young listeners connect, share, and express themselves through music.
Photo Credit: Airbuds
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