Having a conversation in just 140 characters can be a tough task for some. When you consider that everyone from the Pope to Pitbull uses Twitter these days, there’s no arguing how wildly successful the microblogging platform has become (with 400 million tweets sent every single day). Yet there are still people out there who crave more than a constant stream of Paris Hilton being annoying or Paula Abdul being really annoying. Some people insist on having more meaningful social conversation between a group of participants. For those searching for a more substantive online conversation platform, Branch might be their savior.
Founded by Princeton dropout Josh Miller, Branch (formerly called Roundtable) seeks to create thoughtful conversations on topics between people all over the world. The Branch team, based out of New York City, says they created Branch with the “mission to turn the Internet’s monologues into dialogues.” Branch is not the first company to focus on putting the conversation and its content first, but its connection to the very company they are trying to differentiate from might be its key to large-scale user adoption.
Back in 2012, Branch joined forces with Obvious Corporation, a startup incubator run by Twitter co-founders Biz Stone, Evan Williams, and Jason Goldman. Not surprisingly, Branch operates pretty seamlessly with Twitter; starting a conversation and inviting others participants into that “branch” can all be done by simply signing in with your own twitter handle and sending a quick tweet. With backing from Obvious Corporation and other VCs, Branch was able to pick up nearly $2 million in seed funding early in 2012.
The partnership with Twitter and its co-founders (along with their deep pockets) will be a distinct advantage for Branch going forward. However, the company will need more than savvy advisors to emerge as its own platform and experience instead of just a “longer Twitter.” With so many options to connect and communicate online, it will be interesting to see where Branch attempts to carve out its space in the wide and competitive spectrum of online conversation platforms.
To get the latest on Branch, make sure to check out their blog. To get the latest advice on how to be awesome, just follow Puff Daddy on Twitter.
Back in 2012, Branch joined forces with Obvious Corporation, a startup incubator run by Twitter co-founders Biz Stone, Evan Williams, and Jason Goldman. Not surprisingly, Branch operates pretty seamlessly with Twitter; starting a conversation and inviting others participants into that “branch” can all be done by simply signing in with your own twitter handle and sending a quick tweet. With backing from Obvious Corporation and other VCs, Branch was able to pick up nearly $2 million in seed funding early in 2012.
The partnership with Twitter and its co-founders (along with their deep pockets) will be a distinct advantage for Branch going forward. However, the company will need more than savvy advisors to emerge as its own platform and experience instead of just a “longer Twitter.” With so many options to connect and communicate online, it will be interesting to see where Branch attempts to carve out its space in the wide and competitive spectrum of online conversation platforms.
To get the latest on Branch, make sure to check out their blog. To get the latest advice on how to be awesome, just follow Puff Daddy on Twitter.
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