The two pledged Kappa Alpha fraternity, where Buffington was already a member. In that class, Droll met a student who was a year younger, Dougie Warstler. “Computer science is just solving puzzles.” “I love solving puzzles,” Droll says (he used to make crosswords for his college newspaper). During his sophomore year, he was searching for a second major and took his first computer-science class.
“Everyone always thought, ‘You’re good at science - you should be a doctor,’” Droll says. For Droll, Furman offered the chance to play tennis and study premed.ĭroll’s father, who supported his son’s decision to leave med school for Yik Yak, sent this to his son. Buffington chose Furman over Washington and Lee because he found the 750-acre campus scenic. His father worked for Coca-Cola and was relocated to Mexico City, then Stockholm, and then to Atlanta, where Buffington spent his high-school years.īoth attended Furman University, a school with 2,700 students, in Greenville, South Carolina. The family moved back to Georgia when Droll was seven, where he attended public school.īuffington, a middle child to an older sister and younger twin sisters, also spent his early years in Argentina. Droll’s father worked for Bell South International in finance his mother was a homemaker. The younger of two brothers, Droll was born in a suburb of Georgia but spent his early years in Argentina. (Colleran was one of Zuckerberg’s first 10 hires at Facebook.) “They’re social and fun and they party, but you can tell they have a complete understanding of college and what kids are looking for.” “They are not the Mark Zuckerbergs of the world,” Yik Yak investor Kevin Colleran says. They keep a marker by their bathroom mirror so they can swap ideas for Yik Yak while they brush their teeth. They share a three-bedroom apartment that’s a 10-minute walk from their office with another college friend.
YAKYAK WIN TV
Both can’t help peering over my shoulder to watch the tennis match on TV (Droll played tennis in high school and college).īuffington and Droll are cofounders and roommates.
YAKYAK WIN CODE
Droll, the more technical of the two, didn’t start writing code until college. The pair are refreshingly un-Silicon Valley, and none of their friends work in tech. Yik yak office founders tyler droll brooks buffingtonĭroll, left, and Buffington in their old office. “I’ve known him since middle school,” Droll says. A guy comes over and gives Droll’s shoulder a squeeze. They’re just locals - the high-school jock and the class clown who never left home - who happened to build a $400 million business down the street. Every few sips, someone approaches Droll or Buffington to say hi. We talk about their year and their backgrounds. We order a round of beers then chow down on pizza and nachos. “Well, that’s embarrassing,” Droll looks down and mutters. I ask if they planned matching wardrobes.
“I got a haircut this morning and Tyler hasn’t commented on it yet!” Buffington says as he slides into his chair.īoth Yik Yak founders are wearing red. Both have the trendy messy look with freshly trimmed locks mopping over their faces. They’re nearly the same height with blue eyes. Tyler Droll and Brooks Buffington are both 24 (Droll is older by one month). Two men who look strikingly similar approach a table in the back corner. It’s trivia night at the Industry Tavern sports bar in Atlanta. “I have no idea how the results will turn out.” Not your average Zuckerberg “It’s a social experiment at scale,” said one early-stage investor. And if building a $400 million business in a year and a half isn’t dizzying enough, Droll and Buffington are being sued by a former fraternity brother who claims he owns a third of the app.
YAKYAK WIN HOW TO
In December, Sequoia Capital - the firm that backed the $19 billion WhatsApp - fought to lead a $62 million investment in Yik Yak at a valuation that approaches $400 million.īut the same features that make Yik Yak popular, anonymity and hyper-local context, could ruin the startup if it can’t learn how to curb its users. Today it has millions of monthly active users. A few months after launching, Yik Yak had been downloaded 100,000 times. Yik Yak is only a year and a half old, but 1,600 college campuses use it. “We had feedback from students and parents and teachers, and we realized, if you want to build a long-lasting platform, you can’t have a gossip website,” Droll says.
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