ZOOP’s latest release showcases how they are turning creator infrastructure on its head at a time that it is badly needed. ZOOP today announced the launch of its social platform, designed wit
ZOOP’s latest release showcases how they are turning creator infrastructure on its head at a time that it is badly needed.
ZOOP today announced the launch of its social platform, designed with a creator-first monetization model. The platform is built around the principle that creators and their communities should retain a greater share of the value they generate through their content and engagement.
ZOOP Preview, its Beta Product, launched in April 2026, has grown into one of the more closely watched new entrants in a social media industry long dominated by a handful of algorithm driven platforms. Ahead of its public launch, nearly one million users had already signed up, tested the platform, or joined its waitlist, an unusually large head start for a company still in its first year.
The company’s core offering centers on creator monetization. Creators on ZOOP keep up to 80% of the revenue they generate, a share the company says can be as much as 50 times higher than what creators typically receive on established platforms. Fans are also included in the platform’s rewards model. Interactions such as likes, comments, and shares may qualify users to receive ZOOPies, a rewards currency that can be redeemed for real-world benefits through an exclusive partnership with TLC Worldwide, a rewards company operating in more than 50 countries.
THE FOUNDER
RJ Phillips is the founder and CEO of ZOOP, and his background gives the pitch more weight than it might otherwise carry. The goal, he has said, is never to build another feed. It is to fix what he describes as social media’s original sin: platforms that capture most of the value created by the people who show up every day to make them worth using.
“For too long, Big Tech has built empires off the creativity of others, taking more than they give and calling it opportunity,” Phillips said. “ZOOP flips the script. We built a platform where creators are paid what they’re worth, fans are rewarded for the culture they help create, and entertainment finally works for the people who make it worth watching.” That philosophy also shapes the platform’s design.
WHAT THEY ARE BUILDING
ZOOP replaces the constant, algorithm driven “For You” feed with a set of purpose built spaces. ZOOP Channels organize the platform around interests and major cultural moments, including ZOOPSports, ZOOPMusic, among others. ZOOP Clubs give fans interest based communities for discussion, content sharing, and events. A direct messaging feature lets fans reach creators privately, outside the public feed. The Creator Shop turns the app into a marketplace where creators can sell products straight to their audience. And a set of analytics and transparency tools gives creators first party data on their own performance and earnings, information most platforms never share.
The platform also enforces a strict policy against spam and bots. ZOOP describes itself as a verified, human only network, one where engagement is meant to reflect real activity rather than manufactured numbers.
That verification claim is backed by a real mechanism, not just a policy statement. Anyone can create a ZOOP account, but posting content during this early phase requires an invitation, either from an existing ZOOP creator or a QR code distributed at live events. “ZOOP is launching in preview mode, and that is intentional,” Phillips said in an interview earlier this year. The restriction is deliberate. It lets the company build its creator base in a controlled way rather than opening the platform to everyone at once.
THE HOLLYWOOD MOMENT
ZOOP’s highest profile bet so far has been sports, not music or gaming. In May, Enhanced, the elite sports competition and consumer products company, named ZOOP the founding partner and official creator platform of the inaugural Enhanced Games in a $10 million agreement. The Games, held May 24 inside a purpose built arena with 2,500 seats at Resorts World Las Vegas, streamed live to roughly 100 million homes through Roku, giving ZOOP an unusual amount of mainstream exposure for a platform that had only just launched.
Maximilian Martin, the CEO of Enhanced, said at the time that the two companies were built around a similar idea, rewarding the people who make their respective ecosystems work. “ZOOP puts creators first, Enhanced does the same with athletes,” Martin said.
On July 11, the two companies will extend that partnership with an exclusive, invitation only celebration at Interwoven Studios in Hollywood. The event will include two attempts at world records. Hafþór Július Björnsson, known as Thor, will attempt a deadlift between 511 and 515 kilograms, while Beatriz Piron will attempt a snatch world record under official competition rules. Olympic athletes including Cody Miller, Megan Romano, and Boady Santavy are expected to attend, along with roughly 100 invited creators and content partners from fitness, sports, and culture, who will document and share the event across their own channels throughout the day.
ONE TO WATCH
Creators today are more professionalized than they were even a few years ago, and many are growing less willing to accept platform economics that treat them as a replaceable source of content rather than a business partner. Fans, meanwhile, are increasingly skeptical of feeds built primarily to maximize engagement rather than genuine connection.
ZOOP is a direct response to both trends, and its early numbers suggest there is an audience for the pitch. The platform runs on infrastructure built with the Hedera network and is available now on the App Store and Google Play, though it remains early in a competitive landscape against companies with far greater scale and history.
Whether ZOOP can turn nearly a million early sign ups and a marquee sports partnership into a lasting user base will depend on execution, and on whether nights like July 11 can translate into the kind of creator loyalty the company is counting on but it sure looks like they are off to a great start.
ABOUT ZOOP
ZOOP is a creator first social platform built to replace noisy, algorithm driven feeds with real fans and real connection. Founded by RJ Phillips, ZOOP offers what the company describes as the largest revenue share in the industry for creators and their communities, powered by infrastructure built on the Hedera network. ZOOP is available now on the App Store and Google Play. Learn more at zoop.com.
