Superpeer

What did it do?

Superpeer, founded by Devrim Yaşar and Fatih Acet, was a platform that let experts and influencers hold paid one-to-one video calls with their followers. Experts set an introductory video, their available hours and a fee, and Superpeer took a 15 per cent commission on calls. With Superpeer Channels, added at the end of 2020, it also offered paid livestreams and a monthly subscription model.

Why did it shut down?

In March 2024 Superpeer was acquired by the online learning platform Skillshare, with plans for it to be integrated into Skillshare. According to founder Fatih Acet, Skillshare's priorities changed shortly after the acquisition. In December 2024 users were told that the platform would close on 31 December. Acet stressed that the decision to close had nothing to do with the founders and that control over the product had been sharply reduced after the acquisition. As a result, creators who had been earning a regular income lost their platform because of a buyer's portfolio decision.

The story

Superpeer was a joint venture by Devrim Yaşar, previously known for Koding, and Fatih Acet. The idea was simple: YouTubers, influencers and experts in their fields would be able to hold paid one-to-one video calls with their followers and turn their time into money. Experts added an introductory video to their profiles and set their available hours and fees, and Superpeer took a 15 per cent commission on calls.

Having raised $2 million in pre-seed funding led by Eniac Ventures in March 2020, the start-up was named the second product of the day on Product Hunt shortly after opening its private beta. In November 2020 it raised a further $8 million in a round joined by funds such as Acrew Capital, Audacious Ventures, Homebrew and Moxxie Ventures. With Superpeer Channels, launched in the same period, creators began running paid livestreams and earning monthly income from subscribers.

In March 2024 Superpeer was acquired by Skillshare, the New York-based online learning platform. According to a Webrazzi report, the plan was for the product to be fully integrated into Skillshare over the following months. That integration did not last long, however. In December 2024 users received an email saying the platform would close on 31 December.

In posts on his X account, Fatih Acet said the decision had nothing to do with him or his co-founder. According to Acet, Skillshare's priorities had changed shortly after the acquisition. He explained that after acquisitions of this kind the product no longer belongs to its former owners and their control over it is greatly reduced. The team had built a product on an entirely serverless architecture that suffered almost no downtime and could host 3,000 people in a single livestream.

Superpeer's story shows that a successful exit is not always a happy ending for the product. The founders delivered a return to their investors, but the creators earning a regular income through the platform paid the price for the buyer's change of strategy.

Lessons for founders

• Once you are acquired, the product is no longer yours; in exit talks, also discuss the conditions under which the product will live on.
• If you broker creators' income, leave them a migration path in case you close.
• If the link between the buyer's strategic priorities and your product is weak, the integration plan can turn into a closure plan.

Sources

1. Turkish start-up Superpeer to close on 31 December (egirişim, 2024-12-03)
2. Skillshare acquires Superpeer (Webrazzi, 2024-03-13)
3. Superpeer raises $8 million (Webrazzi, 2020-11-23)
4. Devrim Yaşar's start-up Superpeer raises $2 million (Webrazzi, 2020-03-12)

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