- Updated: April 3, 2026
- 6 min read
Fizz Launches in Saudi Arabia: Anonymous Social App Gains Rapid Traction
–:–:–:– The first StrictlyVC of 2026 lands in San Francisco on April 30. Tickets are limited. Register here. Save up to $680 on your Disrupt 2026 pass. Ends 11:59 p.m. PT tonight. REGISTER NOW. Close Image Credits:Slava Blazer Photography / Flickr (opens in a new window) Social The anonymous social app that thinks it can work in Saudi Arabia Amanda Silberling 3:24 PM PDT · April 3, 2026 Fizz, an anonymous social app that started on college campuses, is going global in more ways than one.Its Global Fizz feed is enabling the app to grow beyond college communities and cater to a broader user base, and the app has made a mark with its first overseas launch in Saudi Arabia. When Fizz quietly debuted in Saudi Arabia in the middle of March, founder and CEO Teddy Solomon wasn’t expecting the app to catch on like it did. Within 48 hours, the app hit number one overall on the App Store charts; it remains number one in the news category, Solomon told TechCrunch.He added that Fizz users have sent more than one million messages in the past week. “We’ve always known that our big goal is to be a generational social product, rather than a college social app, and now we’re finally executing on it,” Solomon said. Fizz has not previously spoken about its international expansion. Solomon and his co-founder, Ashton Cofer, started Fizz in 2022 while they were students at Stanford, before dropping out.After raising $40 million and launching on 700 campuses, the app is trying to grow the Global Fizz feed, which allows people who are not students to join location-based communities. Users have the option of posting with a handle, but they can choose to remain anonymous if they wish. It’s similar to Reddit’s main feed, but without the ability to create or join topic-specific communities — the equivalent of Reddit’s subreddits.Solomon said that when he attended a conference in Dubai, he saw the potential for Fizz’s expansion into the Middle East. Soon after, Fizz marketing analyst Michael Fonseca moved to Saudi Arabia to make connections in the area and better understand the culture, which paved the way for Fizz’s international launch. “Mike was really welcomed with open arms,” Solomon said. “I think [Saudi Arabia] changed quite a bit in recent years.” The country is “jumping right now,” said Solomon.“Business is booming. The social scene and social landscape is booming. Snapchat’s huge there. And social apps are just massive in the region, whether it’s Snap, or WhatsApp, or TikTok — whatever other app it might be.” Techcrunch event Disrupt 2026: The tech ecosystem, all in one room Your next round. Your next hire. Your next breakout opportunity.Find it at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, where 10,000+ founders, investors, and tech leaders gather for three days of 250+ tactical sessions, powerful introductions, and market-defining innovation. Register now to save up to $400. Save up to $300 or 30% to TechCrunch Founder Summit 1,000+ founders and investors come together at TechCrunch Founder Summit 2026 for a full day focused on growth, execution, and real-world scaling. Learn from founders and investors who have shaped the industry.Connect with peers navigating similar growth stages. Walk away with tactics you can apply immediatelyOffer ends March 13. San Francisco, CA | October 13-15, 2026 REGISTER NOW Image Credits:Fizz This shift in the country’s image is intentional. In 2016, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman launched a government plan called Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to decrease the country’s financial dependence on oil.This strategy involves modernizing the country’s image – women can now legally drive, for instance – and investing in Western technology companies, like Google and Uber. More recently, the crown prince launched a state-funded AI company called Humain. Despite these changes, Saudi Arabia remains an absolute monarchy, ruled by a royal family that suppresses free speech.In 2024, the Saudi government sentenced Manahel al-Otaibi to 11 years in prison for the “terrorist offense” of tweeting about women’s rights and posting photos on Snapchat in which she was not wearing a traditional abaya, according to Amnesty International. Operating in Saudi Arabia, Fizz has to be aware that the monarchy could monitor its app for posts it deems offensive, demand that certain content be taken down, or even arrest someone based on their Fizz posts.Solomon doesn’t have a clear plan for how Fizz would handle such situations. “The answer is, [we will] cross that bridge when we get there,” he said. “We have a lot of confidence in our guidelines. We are moderating very strictly and in a way that is satisfying people in the region and making sure that we’re abiding by the rules of the region and rules of the country.” Fizz says it has not received investment from any Saudi Arabian entities and has not communicated with any members of the government. Solomon said that Fizz has invested heavily in Arabic natural language processing tools to support its content moderation efforts. The company has also onboarded “hundreds” of volunteer moderators from the Saudi Arabian Fizz community.Fizz uses a similar strategy in its college communities — it uses AI content moderation tools, but it also seeks out volunteer moderators who have a better understanding of the nuances of campus culture, giving them more context when making moderation decisions. “There’s a lot of care for their community,” Solomon said. “There’s a lot of pride in their country, a lot of pride in the city that they live in, and they like the platform.They want to keep the platform safe, and they take a lot of honor in doing so.” Topics Exclusive, fizz, Saudi Arabia, Social Amanda Silberling Senior Writer Amanda Silberling is a senior writer at TechCrunch covering the intersection of technology and culture. She has also written for publications like Polygon, MTV, the Kenyon Review, NPR, and Business Insider. She is the co-host of Wow If True, a podcast about internet culture, with science fiction author Isabel J. Kim.Prior to joining TechCrunch, she worked as a grassroots organizer, museum educator, and film festival coordinator. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and served as a Princeton in Asia Fellow in Laos. You can contact or verify outreach from Amanda by emailing amanda@techcrunch.com or via encrypted message at @amanda.100 on Signal. View Bio April 30 San Francisco, CA StrictlyVC kicks off the year in SF.Get in the room for unfiltered fireside chats with industry leaders, insider VC insights, and high-value connections that actually move the needle. 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