Twitter and Pinterest founders back new ‘intentional’ social app
Veterans of Silicon Valley who helped build some of the world’s biggest social platforms are betting that a slower, more reflective network can offer an alternative to the harms they believe social media has inflicted.
Two prominent figures from the early social media boom have launched a new app aimed at countering what they describe as the damage caused by existing platforms, according to the Financial Times. Biz Stone, a co-founder of Twitter, and Evan Sharp, who helped launch Pinterest in 2010, have raised $29 million for their start-up West Co, regulatory filings show.
Founded in 2023 and based in San Francisco, West Co released its first product, an invite-only app called Tangle, in November. The app positions itself as a “new kind of social network” focused on intentional living rather than endless feeds. Users are prompted to share personal goals, support friends’ ambitions and reflect on how their days unfold.
Stone told the FT that the current version of Tangle remains an early experiment and may evolve significantly before a wider launch. The app currently sends daily prompts asking users about their intentions for the day, a design choice that reflects the founders’ desire to shift attention away from constant scrolling.
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Sharp, who serves as West Co’s chief executive, has described a long-running effort to understand how smartphones and social media reshaped behaviour, and how some of those effects might be mitigated. His thinking has been influenced by time spent at LoveFrom, the design firm founded by Jonathan Ive.
West Co’s backers include Spark Capital, an early investor in Twitter. Several team members previously worked at Twitter and Pinterest, underlining how the company draws directly on experience from the first wave of social media, even as it seeks to redefine what a network should be.
