Ayman Hariri
VERO’s Co-Founder and CEO talks about the journey so far and where we’re heading.
What does it say on your business card?
Co-Founder and CEO of VERO.
Where is home?
Dubai, where I live with my wife and three children.
How would you describe VERO?
VERO is a social network built on responsible technology principles. We’re building technology and a culture to help people connect without employing the techniques that have been shown to promote addiction.
What inspired you to create VERO?
VERO was born from a frustration with the one-size-fits-all model of Big Social. Their model is built on a fundamentally flawed value exchange in which people get a free profile but, in return, have to give up an unending amount of personal data about themselves, their interests, their relationships and much more.
Our collective privacy and attention have been exploited on a mass scale and we are marketed to constantly. We started VERO because we felt there was a need for a new kind of social network which treats its users as customers and not as a commodity, protects their privacy and prioritizes genuine connection between people and groups over “engagement”.
“VERO is a social network built on responsible technology principles. We’re building technology and a culture to help people connect without employing the techniques that have been shown to promote addiction.”
What values are you keen to make sure run through everything that VERO does?
Respect and consideration are at the top of the list. We respect our Members and their privacy, and we are focused on looking after them, delivering a great experience for them over the long term and being worthy of the trust they’ve placed in us. Respect is also at the heart of the community experience – we ask all VERO Members to treat others on the platform with respect and consideration.
That brings me to the value of consideration. While other companies say they like to "move fast and break things”, we take a more deliberate approach to developing tools and features we’re confident will deliver lasting, sustainable value for our Members. We might get more "engagement" by adding certain features common to other platforms, but we take time to consider the long-term effects on individuals, their relationships with others, as well as the wider societal impact. It takes a little longer, but the team and I wholeheartedly believe in this approach.
What does ‘community’ mean to you, and what kind of community are you trying to create at VERO?
To me, community is the cultivation of shared purpose and values in a group, large or small. In these challenging times when there is so much division and loneliness, I feel we could all do with more empathy and connection, and be rooted in positive, supportive communities.
The VERO community is designed to be one that is open, diverse and focused more on lifting people up than on tearing them down. This generosity has the most amazing compounding effect over time, and we are dedicated to keeping it going and growing so VERO remains a valuable and positive experience for everyone involved.
So many amazing photographers are adopting VERO as their preferred platform - how does that make you feel?
Without a doubt, Peter McKinnon’s “End of Instagram” video has had a huge impact on our growth among creators. We’ve been saying all along that the attention economy is not sustainable and quality creators will always get the short end of the stick.
Ad-based platforms have to constantly reshape themselves in pursuit of more user engagement, user insights, and ad revenue. I’ve looked up to Peter and have learned so much from him, and to have him in our corner means the world to us!
It’s been amazing and humbling to see the response we’re getting. To hear creative people saying that VERO is helping them rediscover their joy in sharing their photography now that they’re free from having to work to please an algorithm and are able to communicate a fuller, more rounded sense of who they are as a person is incredible.
Who do you look to for inspiration as you build VERO?
My father, who was my mentor. I miss him every day and his example, values, and character inspire me still.
Apple for its market-defining innovation, design, execution and focus on simplicity.
Leica for its exquisite craftsmanship. (I am a passionate amateur photographer myself!)
What does the next year have in store for VERO and its Members?
The next year will see the introduction of new tools that are designed to empower artists and creators to build more sustainable careers in partnership with their most engaged fans. We’re also working on new discovery capabilities in the app which will help surface relevant content to Members without churning through their data. It’s going to be a busy year, but we couldn’t be more excited!!
There’s a lot of hype right now about web3 - will VERO be adopting web3 technology and tools in the future?
Web3 technology offers some really amazing opportunities for innovators and audiences to co-create things of real value and share in the upside - to co-own and collaborate in new ways with trust and transparency. I think it will be particularly valuable for the large number of creators who haven’t yet cracked the economics of being on social. We’re thinking through how we can help empower artists, creators and fans to create more value and possibilities for each other using web3 - so definitely watch this space…
“The next year will see the introduction of new tools that are designed to empower artists and creators to build more sustainable careers in partnership with their most engaged fans. ”
Cast your mind back to 2018. What was the mood like when VERO reached number 1 in the App Store?
It was both a cause for celebration and a learning experience! As a small team, it was hugely gratifying to see millions of people embrace VERO and our ideals.
However, the scale of the user surge in 2018 was challenging. We were so early in our journey that our servers couldn’t handle the wave of new registrations as the response was so much bigger than anything we had modeled. Unfortunately, some people’s first experience with VERO was not what we would have liked it to be. That said, we learned a lot and I’m pleased to say that not only did the 2018 surge lay the foundations for the thriving community we have now, but the VERO team worked tirelessly ever since to expand and reinforce our technical infrastructure and we’re better prepared as a result.
Both the app and yourself came under significant fire during this period and during subsequent periods of rapid growth. What was that experience like?
When you challenge the status quo, it’s inevitable that you’re going to take incoming fire, but perhaps we’ve received more than our fair share.
We were attacked from some quarters based on where we come from and I have also been the subject of a lot of misinformation and rumor. I am personally very fortunate to have been supported every step of the way by my family and my team. My wife and three children have been by my side from the get-go, despite the enormous focus it involves and the time it takes me away from them.
The VERO team and I have had each other's backs throughout this journey and none of this would be possible without their tireless work and professionalism. We all believe in what we’re doing and the values we uphold. The VERO community’s support has been unwavering and they’ve hopefully seen that we’ve never lost focus on what we’re here to do.
You’ve personally financed the entire operation to date. How and when do you think this will change?
I have self-financed VERO to the tune of tens of millions of dollars for the better part of a decade because I believe the world needs a counterpoint to the ad-driven platforms and, frankly, I didn't see anyone else stepping up.
A typical venture-capital technology startup is lucky if it can think a quarter or two ahead in its breakneck pursuit of product-market-fit, but I wanted to afford us an environment that gives us the time to choose the right moves. That said, VERO is growing fast and we are projecting significant revenues when we have more tools and features in place (not least, a small annual subscription charge for new Members at some point in the future), and we are open to partnering with outside investors provided only if they share our values around user privacy and other core tenets of the VERO proposition.
What would you say to people who like the sound of an ad-free platform but feel it’s inevitable advertising will come to VERO at some point especially if it’s acquired by a bigger platform?
I have one thing to say to people who think we might sell out and do ads one day or be bought up by Facebook: I’d rather shut it down.
We haven’t turned on subscription yet, but we will when the time is right in order to make VERO self-sustaining, but anyone who has a VERO account before we turn on subscriptions will get a free account for life.
There’s no denying the hype that Zack Snyder and his passionate community of fans bring to VERO. What’s your relationship with Zack?
I’m proud to call Zack a friend and extremely grateful that he has found a home online on VERO. He’s not only one of the most talented filmmakers of our time, but he’s a great guy and he uses the community he has built on VERO to do so much good in the world.
It’s clear from your VERO account that photography is a big passion of yours. What do shoot on, and where do you get your inspiration from?
My favorite camera to use is my Leica M11 and the 35mm Summilux is my current lens of choice. Mark Twight encouraged me to try using a manual focus camera and I haven’t been able to look back since. I do enjoy using my Q2 when I need a quick Autofocus camera that’s hassle-free. #ImALeicaHead.
Where can we find you on VERO?
Road to Belonging