Bluesky Feed Builder Graze Secures $1M Funding and Launches Innovative Ad Solutions
Graze, an innovative startup, is revolutionizing how users engage with Bluesky’s social network by enabling them to build and monetize custom feeds. Recently, the company secured $1 million in pre-seed funding, led by Betaworks and Salesforce Ventures, to enhance its offerings and empower users to take control of their social media experience.
What is Graze?
Graze provides a user-friendly platform that allows individuals to create, customize, publish, and manage feeds on Bluesky. Unlike traditional social networks like X or Meta’s Threads, which default users to a generic algorithmic feed, Bluesky’s unique structure supports nearly 35 million users in creating personalized feeds. These feeds can be pinned to the app’s navigation, allowing users to designate a preferred home feed.
The Challenge of Feed Creation
Creating custom feeds can often be daunting, especially for non-developers. Graze addresses this challenge by offering:
- User-friendly templates
- Tools for moderation and content management
- Options for sorting and filtering content
- Customizable social graphs
Current Impact of Graze on Bluesky
As of now, Graze powers approximately 4,500 feeds created by around 3,000 users, including popular options like the News feed and Booksky. The platform spans a variety of interests, including:
- Gaming
- Art
- Politics
- Sports
- Fitness
- Hobbies
Additionally, Graze supports external applications like the news tracking service Sill.
Monetization Strategy for Feed Creators
Graze is now expanding its functionalities by allowing feed creators to monetize their feeds through advertising. This approach aims to establish an ethical advertising framework that contrasts sharply with traditional ad tech systems used by major platforms.
Instead of relying on invasive user data for targeting, advertisers can choose specific feeds for their ads, thus ensuring relevance. Feed operators gain editorial control over which ads are displayed, as well as their frequency and cost.
Empowering Advertisers and Users
According to Graze co-founder and CTO Devin Gaffney, traditional social networks offer limited control to advertisers. He notes:
“Advertisers have very little control over where their content is seen and the quality of how that is rendered to people.”
Graze’s model allows feed operators the choice to run ads while giving users the option to opt out by blocking sponsored hashtags. This self-regulatory system encourages feed operators to maintain a balance without overwhelming users with advertisements.
Current Advertising Landscape
Currently, around 200 feeds utilize Graze’s advertising system, with a cost of approximately $1 per 1,000 impressions. As Bluesky continues to grow, Graze anticipates this number will rise. The company retains a 30% share of advertising revenue, which supports hosting, payment processing, and feed management software.
Future Plans and Ethical Revenue Sharing
Looking ahead, Graze is exploring potential revenue-sharing models with Bluesky and other applications based on the AT Protocol (ATProto). The team is committed to finding ethical solutions that benefit all stakeholders, including app developers.
Graze’s recent $1 million funding round, spearheaded by Betaworks and Salesforce Ventures, has also attracted support from Factorial, Apertu Capital, Skyseed, and angel investors from Mozilla and Protocol Labs. This funding will enable Graze to refine its product and ensure a great user experience.
Focus on User Experience
Co-founder Peat Bakke emphasized, “We’re focused on discovery, learning… how do we make this a great experience for everyone, and build relationships in the space?” Graze’s team, comprising co-founders from Portland and San Jose, is dedicated to enhancing the platform while maintaining a small, efficient workforce.
For more information about Graze and its innovative features, visit their official website.
