Sedum sexangulare by Krzysztof Ziarnek, via Wikimedia Commons

What does it mean to trust someone you just met?

We’ve all been there: you meet someone cool and you want to talk to them again. The moment is winding down, you open your mouth to suggest a next step and—conversation falters. Do we want to connect on Instagram, so I can show you all my personal photos? LinkedIn, where you’ll suddenly know everything I do for work? Exchange phone numbers, so that we’ll be recommended to each other everywhere else, forever?

What if all we needed to trust was that we wanted to talk again, without being stalked or spied on?

We’re thrilled to announce Germ 2.0, the culmination of our 1:1 messaging prototype.

With new UI/UX, multi-use invites, and significant reliability updates, this is our most polished messenger yet. We can’t wait to hear your feedback as we continue building to group messaging on the MLS protocol, events and productivity tools, and beyond.

We’re celebrating with 3 events this month—so you can join us online, in person, or in person and GAY to learn more about our product and meet us and our community.

Wednesday, June 12 - 6pm PT TechWalk with our cofounders Tessa and Mark at Shoreline Park in Mountain View - RSVP HERE - yes, we’re really walking!

Thursday, June 20 - 10am PT Webinar with our incredible Advisory Board, asking “What is the future of trusted communications?” - RSVP HERE - yes, these superstars are really our advisors!
Thursday, June 27 - 5:30pm PT All-Gender Queer Speed Dating at Zhuzh Bar in San Francisco - RSVP HERE - because yes, our CEO is gay and maybe so are you!

In case you’re just meeting us, allow us to rewind a bit.

Germ lets you share what you want to, when you need to—starting with secure DMs. Germ DM lets you build and share multiple profiles for 1:1 end-to-end encrypted text messaging, available for all iPhones running iOS 16 or later. Whether you’re connecting with a new dog walker, a prospective client, or a first date, Germ lets you control exactly what you share and how people can find you. That means no phone numbers, anywhere.

Here’s some of what you can do in Germ DM:

Show up as yourselves: build up to 3 profile cards with a name, photo, and pronouns, and edit them over time
Connect instantly: share a QR code or send a link to open a new secure chat with any iPhone — it even launches automatically on phones without Germ installed, via our App Clip
Focus on what matters: Control notifications by individual contact or by which profile card you shared
Set the tone: Vibe in light or dark mode
Remember your friends: Annotate your friends’ cards to remember how you know them
Manage your accessibility: Connect with a 5-use QR code, or share a link that can be used up to 100 times.

Germ DM is:

Stalker-resistant, because you can disconnect at any time and we never recommend you to anyone
Deception-resistant, because the app cryptographically remembers the history of your friends’ card edits
Spying-resistant, because it’s end-to-end encrypted so we’re not watching, reading, or selling what you do or say
Aligned around users, because we sell our products to users. While we continue building you the tools you need on a foundation of always-free services, you can now tip your developers (that’s us) from this website.

This is edge computer science, driven by people’s everyday needs. Our goal is to build tools that serve your real life and the ways you connect and communicate when it’s easy, authentic, and fun. We’re a small team of two cofounders and an intern, supported by ourselves and beloved angel investors.

So try Germ out, and stop sharing your phone number! We hope to meet you online or in person this month and beyond. - Tessa and Mark

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