Web 2.0 Startups

Social Betworking

Bragster

London

Founded: January, 2007
Sector: Social Networking
Co-founders: Bertrand Bodson and Wim Vernaeve

Bragster is a Web site where people challenge each other, claim victory, and brag about it. Think of it as Jackass Meets Facebook. Primary customers are the typical social networking audience of 16- to 30-year-olds in the U.S. and Britain. Participants make bets with their friends about anything, including challenging each other to do crazy stunts—for instance, "Bet I won't show up at school wearing only my underwear,"—and then make video recordings of themselves doing what they promised. The result is a collection of zany short videos that mimic some of the scenes on the U.S. TV show Jackass. The University of Kent already has launched the first on-campus "Bragster Society," and the site has attracted more than 70 high-profile celebrities such as 50 Cent, Mandy Moore, and Snoop Dogg, who regularly invite their MySpace/Xanga/MyYearbook friends to join the challenges they post on Bragster.