Born from the idea of receiving personalized information without endless scrolling and searching, Chapel Hill native Jake Zinn’s brainchild, Beepr Inc., is making waves in the music industry.
Zinn, who came up with the concept in 2014, began building the app in 2018 while attending the College of Charleston. After a soft launch in 2020, Beepr now provides instant alerts or “beeps” for new music releases from users’ favorite artists. Overcoming early challenges, the four-person team bootstrapped its way through app development, utilizing personal savings and consulting services to fund the project.
The turning point came when entrepreneurship accelerator Tech Stars selected Beepr as one of 10 music startups for its program, providing the startup with its first outside round of capital at over $200,000. The app has since gained momentum, boasting more than 300,000 registered users and around 10,000 daily users.
Beepr allows users to search for their favorite artists and receive notifications about new releases, tour dates, and merchandise. Although currently focused on music, Zinn envisions expanding the app’s notification system to books, TV shows, gaming, sports, and news, creating a personalized, all-encompassing “beep” experience.
The app is currently free, but Zinn plans to transition Beepr into a subscription-based service with a $2 monthly fee. This small fee would offer users the convenience of having their desired information brought directly to their screens, saving them valuable time in an age of information overload.
Despite now being based in Charlotte, Zinn aims to attract Triangle investors when raising the next funding round for his Chapel Hill-headquartered firm.
