Founded in 2020 by two former students at LSE, Frog is a new kind of social media app setting out to fight fake friends and pseudo-relationships and seems to be doing a great job internally of attracting a super diverse talent force. Founded in 2020, instant video messaging social media app Frog has a 70-30 female-male split with females making up 70% of all leadership positions. With a 40-strong team and staff based around the world, 40% of staff are also from non-white backgrounds. With women in the UK making up just a quarter of employees in the tech industry, female-founded social media app Frog shares how it attracts more diverse talent. Recent statistics have also revealed a wider problem with ethnic diversity in the UK tech industry as just 2.6% of ethnic minority individuals hold leadership positions on boards.
Across the UK tech industry, both female and ethnic minority individuals remain heavily underrepresented at a senior leadership level. In a 2019 sample of the UK’s top 16 technology companies, ethnic minority women were recorded as making up just 0.7% of board positions. Frog leads the way with 80% of its senior management team from ethnic minorities.
Founder and CEO Anna Lee is passionate about increasing diverse representation in tech companies. As a female pioneer in a male-dominated tech sector where women make up just 19% of workers, Anna is prioritising diverse tech hires at Frog by utilising proactive recruitment methods to engage with underrepresented groups. As well as targeting a broad range of recruitment sources such as women in technology networks, Frog also uses a diverse candidate referral program to make new hires and encourage diversity within the company.
Anna Lee, Founder and CEO, Frog said, “For many people around the world the tech industry is seen as inaccessible with leadership positions dominated by white men. As a young, female founder of a tech start-up, I am passionate about encouraging more diverse hires into roles and I am proud to be building a workforce that has diversity and inclusion at its heart. In many studies, diversity in the workplace has been linked to improved company performance and as Frog aims to become the world’s most popular social media app for Gen Zs, I am determined to ensure that I have a wide range of talent and perspectives helping us to grow. We need to make sure that tech companies are providing a wide range of role models so that tech is seen as an attainable career for all children and young people.”
With over four million users around the world, Frog is setting out to fight filter culture and fake friendships online by inspiring individuals to connect in a more sincere and transparent way. The app centres around the uploading of video stories known as SUPs which don’t disappear after 24 hours. Unlike Instagram Stories, Frog allows users to send SUPs direct to friends and enables others to share ‘Sequel’ videos in response and continue the conversation. Frog also offers an instant messaging function known as WYD which allows users to take part in quick and seamless conversations and is available as a widget for iOS and Android phones.
What is Frog?
Based out of California, London and Texas, over four million authentic Gen Z friendships have already been made around the world using Frog with the app empowering users to connect through video and express what’s on their minds at the current moment with no filters or masks involved. Harnessing the power of AI, Frog is dedicated to offering its users a fun and interactive social experience that brings friends together to interact in a more transparent and authentic way. With the app prioritising the nurturing of real friendships, Frog’s key features centre around unique video story content (SUPs) and instant messaging to cater to the growing consumer demand from the younger generations for a less hyper-curated type of social media.
Users can engage with the app’s distinctive video story feature known as ‘Sequel’ which allows users to add their take on an original video story (SUP). Unlike Instagram Stories, SUPs don’t disappear after 24 hours and users can recheck them which then notifies the original user and can encourage a new wave of interaction on the app. Frog also contains an instant messaging function called WYD which is available to iOS and Android users as a widget and enables users to stay up to date with their friends’ SUPs and direct messages directly on their home screen.
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
