Hello! I’m Jenny, a marketing analyst at HYEL. HYEL is an iOS App designed to rekindle the way we connect. As a recent and ambitious college graduate, I have had the incredible opportunity to be a part of HYEL’s journey, which has opened my eyes to the startup world. Let me introduce you to HYEL.
HYEL, short for “How You feEL,” was founded by our CEO, Hyung Lee. Hyung’s impressive background in technology and startups caught my initial attention. after I heard his story about how he failed in his first social and game startup and how that led to his involvement in building GOAT.
What resonated the most, though, was his vision and mission for HYEL. He explained the problem he saw in current social media experiences and how it’s making people feel lonely, less confident, and passive. That message resonated with me because I feel the pain every day. And here I am writing the first blog post for HYEL!
The Concept Behind HYEL
In response to the increasing toxicity of social media platforms, Hyung aimed to revive the innocent joy of early SNS days. He told me and the team how his cofounders got into intense competition for top scores in games like Temple Run, Flappy Bird, a 2024, etc (and how much he enjoyed sending them screenshots of him beating them and letting them know that he won). HYEL was created to bring back this nostalgic experience, allowing users to create anonymous (and cute) profiles for a safe environment for users to meet others, play games, and win real-world prizes.
Features of HYEL
Lucky Draw
Our latest and most exciting feature, the Lucky Draw, was launched last month, on April 29th. This sweepstakes event involves playing a specific mini-game to accumulate tickets for the drawing portion. The higher your score and the more you play, the better your chances of winning. Prizes range from real-life cash and items to exclusive in-game rewards.
Avatar Customization
HYEL allows users to personalize their avatars with stickers and faces from our in-game characters. We’ve collaborated with digital artists such as Made By Malin (@madebymalin on IG) to create exclusive stickers and themes. Your profile page also includes daily reward progress and a Feed tab to keep up with friends’ activities.
Mini-Games
We offer five mini-games (with more in development!): Drop the Fruit, Turn Up, Count Up, Cube Cube, and Dazzle. Many of these games are retro-inspired and can be quite challenging initially. Drop the Fruit is particularly popular. Stay tuned for a detailed article on these mini-games, or explore them yourself on HYEL.
Club Chats
Club Chats foster social interaction within HYEL. Users can join existing club chats or create their own by adding a name, description, and badge. These chats encourage multiplayer game tournaments and friendly competition. Users can also direct message each other.
Global Wall
Launched at the end of February this year, the Global Wall feature encourages social interaction by allowing users to comment on various topics anonymously until they participate. The most popular comment wins a bonus sum of in-game currency and gets to choose the next topic (they’re quite interesting!).
Join Us on This Journey
At HYEL, we believe in the power of genuine connections and joyful experiences. Together, we can create a community where fun and positivity thrive. Let’s bring back the innocence and excitement of early social media, one game at a time.
As a startup, we are continually seeking feedback to improve. Stay tuned for more articles and updates about HYEL, Hyung Lee’s story, and the startup world. Join us, and let's make social network service social again. I promise you’ll enjoy our digital playground.
