Developing Innovation: How VERO Began With Ayman Hariri

Social media has been a steady fixture in the lives of millions across the globe. Since their inception, sharing posts, connecting with friends, and building communities have been the intended use of these platforms; however, with new data mining software and content-prioritizing algorithms, these sites have lost their sense of community, turning into highly tailored advertisement collections. Traditional social media sites, relying heavily on ad placements and data tracking, have strayed from their once user-focused platforms in favor of selling products for outside companies. 

With a more transparent, user-focused view on using social media, VERO promises and delivers a clear-cut take on social media that re-centers and highlights the individual user for a completely honest social media experience. VERO’s development and foundation have always aimed for an innovative approach to social media, purely and openly centering individual users on providing a transparent, trustworthy online experience.

Early Days of VERO

Aiming to create a social media platform that delivers user-oriented experiences, VERO founder Ayman Hariri launched the platform in 2015, providing a platform like that of Facebook and Instagram, only without collecting user data for target advertisements or data mining algorithms. The app lets users share posts chronologically, allowing members to have a more organic flow of posts rather than letting an algorithm decide how to prioritize user content.

Among the first group of supporters for VERO were cosplay communities and groups focused around producing visual art. Tattoo artists, makeup artists, and even popular athletes in the skateboarding community began cultivating large fan bases on the app. VERO’s zoom features were better suited for these artists when displaying their work, allowing followers to examine key details that other zoom features on sites like Instagram were unable to offer.

In 2018, a mass influx of users began migrating from other social media websites to VERO, highlighting its transparency and lack of secrecy behind its data-related processes when compared to other social media sites. In less than a week, VERO went from a small, indie platform to the number one-selling social media site on the market. Continued community support helped draw users from other platforms, opening the world up to the future of social media.

Future Developments and Impact

VERO’s success in the late 2010s opened more avenues for content-sharing services, leading Ayman Hariri to develop VERO 2.0, a newer platform version that gave users more opportunities to connect. Users could already follow one another and create connections, sharing posts on their feeds, and communication in the app was set up with a standard chat feature. With VERO 2.0, members now have the option to set up voice and video chats with their connections. VERO 2.0 also introduced the option for bookmarking posts, added games and apps for users, and changed the design of the app to facilitate the user experience better.

As VERO continues to grow, so do its opportunities to support creators. With VERO Music, musicians now have a completely self-guided opportunity for growth and networking, giving artists complete control over their content sharing and artistic development. Promising the same sense of transparency as their traditional platform, VERO Music gives artists the space to grow and nurture their creativity, presenting music to followers as they see fit.

Until 2021, VERO had been strictly a mobile app, available for download on various mobile app stores. In October, VERO introduced a beta desktop version of the platform for users, opening up more avenues to join and share content. Now, with millions of users worldwide, VERO still holds to its commitment to total transparency, prioritizing user experience over data collection and remaining completely ad-free. The promises of user support and an emphasis on letting users be themselves made by Hariri are still the guiding principles behind VERO’s platform and approach to social media.

Discover VERO Today

As global communication develops, social media begins to change as well. As more social media sites are being taken over by advertisements, collecting user data to create targeted posts, the crucial foundations of social media are beginning to crumble. Having to choose between building meaningful, interest-based communication with others across the globe and having their data harnessed for creating targeted advertisements should not be the only option for social media use. Fortunately, VERO’s platform allows users to have a completely transparent, truthful social media experience that avoids hidden algorithms and data tracking.

Social media platforms were created to help people share their interests and likes with friends, family, and people with similar interests. Social media platforms that prioritize these functions are becoming rare, but there is still hope. VERO allows users to harness their own social media experience, avoiding the complications and privacy concerns caused by traditional social media platforms. Making the switch to VERO is not only helping users reshape their social media experience, but it also provides a way for individuals to authentically present themselves, creating an overall better social media experience.

The founder, Ayman Hariri, is a philanthropist, investor, and has been involved in a number of technology startups including the VERO app.