Gen Z Photos App Swipewipe Sells to French Publisher MWM in Its Largest Acquisition to Date

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Swipewipe, a U.S.-based photo management app popular among Gen Z users, has been acquired by French mobile app publisher and developer MWM. The acquisition marks MWM's largest to date, and allows Swipewipe's founder, Adam O'Kane, to benefit financially from the deal while continuing to work on the app.

O'Kane, who developed the app, praised MWM for its support, saying that the company helped him achieve a "life-changing" exit without giving up control of the app's future success.

Swipewipe's journey to success was not overnight. O'Kane, who has been working on social apps since he was 17, created the app as a way to help users manage their iPhone's Camera Roll. The app gamifies the process of deleting unwanted photos, making it more engaging and fun for users.

The app initially struggled to gain traction, but after partnering with MWM, it began to see significant growth. MWM provided ad spend and monetization support, which helped Swipewipe reach over 5 million downloads and project over €10 million in revenue this year.

Swipewipe's success can be attributed to its unique approach to photo management. Unlike other apps, Swipewipe breaks down the process of cleaning up photos into manageable tasks, making it more appealing to users. The app's popularity among Gen Z users, who are known to regularly purge their Instagram accounts of photos, also contributed to its success.

O'Kane remembers a moment when he saw teens using his app at an amusement park, saying it felt like hearing his song on the radio for the first time. The app later went viral on TikTok, and Swipewipe and MWM followed up with paid campaigns.

Today, Swipewipe has over a million monthly active users, and O'Kane is excited to continue working on the app, saying that he sees it as just "scratching the surface" of what's possible.

Image Credits: Deb Cram of Seacoast Online