How Let: The Teen Social Network Faced Collapse and Made a Comeback
From Near-Death to Revival: The Story of Let
Pascal Lorne, the founder of teen-focused social network Let, didn’t just pitch his platform when we met—he shared its rollercoaster journey. After selling his previous company, Miyowa, for $59 million, Lorne aimed big with Let but quickly encountered turbulence.
The Early Missteps
Lorne’s initial strategy mirrored a common entrepreneur’s pitfall: scaling too fast. He assembled a large development team, leading to a high burn rate. When Let launched in November (coinciding with Lorne’s New York Marathon run), it missed its target audience—teenagers—despite being designed for them.
Facing a critical juncture with $1.5 million in seed funding on the line, Lorne and his co-founders had three choices:
- Take the money and hope for the best (risking investor trust).
- Self-fund while pivoting (a costly gamble).
- Shut down entirely (the path they chose).
The Unexpected Resurrection
After laying off the team, the developers requested keeping the servers live for job applications. Surprisingly, some later volunteered to work on Let part-time for equity, leading to a relaunch on March 14.
What Is Let? A Teen-Centric Social Experiment
Let’s mission? To create the “ultimate, coolest space for teenagers.” Lorne, drawing from Miyowa-era focus groups, believed teens were disengaging from Facebook. Let’s solution:
- Positivity-driven interactions with gamification.
- Star-based rewards for liked posts, fueling leaderboards.
- Photo/video sharing akin to other networks but with a teen-first approach.
The Breakthrough: Influencer Power
Growth stalled until YouTuber Jake Boys and social media star Jack Dail joined, bringing their followers. Lorne then targeted the “long tail” of teen influencers—those with sizable but not top-tier audiences—who were eager to grow.
The Results
- User base doubling every two weeks (now in the hundreds of thousands).
- 65% female users, primarily aged 13–15.
- Three developers returned full-time as traction grew.
Staying Relevant: How Let Engages Its Audience
Lorne, far from his teen years, relies on:
- 20 volunteer “gurus” (active users who shape the app’s culture).
- Direct feedback loops to align with teen preferences.
Key Takeaways
- Avoid over-scaling prematurely—Lorne’s pivot saved Let.
- Influencers drive adoption, especially in niche markets.
- Community-led moderation can sustain platform ethos.
Let’s story isn’t just a startup tale—it’s a lesson in resilience, adaptability, and understanding your audience.
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