New video chat platform Yep launches, founders have Fresno connections

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Video chatting is changing due to the founders of the new platform Yep.

"You can grab a link, and you can send it to anybody, and they can instantly connect," said Bryan Lord, Yep founder and CEO.

Lord is one of the founders of the new video call platform, which aims to make it easy to chat without a formal meeting.

It allows different cell phone users to connect instantly, whether it's an Apple or Android, and those by computer.

Lord's wife is from Fresno, and he lived in the Valley.

Co-founder Layne Lev is based in Fresno.

"There's a lot of interesting tech stuff happening in Fresno and everywhere. That's really kind of part of the reason that something like this has appealed to us the ability to work remotely is obviously you know become drastically more important since COVID, and it's not going away," said Lev.

Yep just launched July 20.

Yep saw rapid growth during early testing and was used in more than 150 countries by tens of thousands of users in its first six months.

They believe a simple way to do video chats is needed.

"We also think that 80% to 90% of calls that happened on a video conferencing platform really just need to be a video call. We don't need cat filters and changing our backgrounds really we just want to talk face to face, and usually, it's in a very small group," Lev said.

Yep says up to 16 people can be in a call, and there are no time limits or no log-in required.

They hope this free tool will gain ground among everyday users and industries like healthcare.

The founders are hoping to get Series A funding to help them grow. Their goal is that Yep would help people stay connected no matter where they are located.