Yodel expansion costs eleven million euros

The annual net loss of the Berlin start-up Jodel was around two million euros in 2020. Now further figures have become known.

The Berlin-based start-up Jodel takes in less money than it spends. In 2020, the company posted a net loss of around two million euros. The development of Jodel also cost, according to research by German Startups a total of around eleven million euros.

Jodel has done quite a bit in recent years to bring in more money. In 2020, the startup generated its revenues almost exclusively in Germany. Advertisers have been able to place ads on the app for four years. Many brands place ads on the platform, which primarily reaches young users between the ages of 18 and 30. That's also the company's usual target audience - the app originally launched as a student offering. However, Yodel also raises money through other sources. For example, a premium function can be booked since the beginning of 2021.

In 2018, Yodel showed its highest annual loss to date, amounting to 5.2 million euros. In the first year since its founding, this had still amounted to just under 271,000 euros, in 2015 it was around 759,000 euros. In 2016, the deficit was already 1.4 million euros, and in 2017 it was finally 2.8 million euros.

Founded in 2014 by Avellan Borgmeyer, the social media app allows users to publish posts anonymously and display them to app users in their immediate vicinity. Since then, the platform has evolved for witty sayings and local night out tips.

In February 2021, Chinese gaming company Netease jumped on board with Yodel, acquiring 20 percent of the startup. At that point, Yodel had already raised ten million euros, including from Global Founders Capital and Atlantic Internet. Over seven million people are said to use the platform.