## Koodos Announces Shelf – A Social Network Built Around Media Consumption & a New Personal Data Manager koodos is excited to announce the official launch of Shelf, a personal data manager & social network based on the media you consume. Shelf recently came out of beta, reaching the 6th spot on app charts and was recognized by Business Insider as one of the Top Apps of 2024. ##### [As seen in TechCrunch here.](https://techcrunch.com/2024/09/21/shelf-is-a-social-network-based-on-the-media-you-consume/) [Shelf](https://www.getashelf.com/) connects to your favorite services to help you keep track of what you’re consuming and create a personalized “storefront” for your media habits. Through Shelf, you can keep a log of what you've been consuming over time and connect with others based on the movies, shows, books, games, and music they consume. > “If you observe internet culture at large, we’re shifting away from posting selfies to posting ‘Shelfies’: ‘here’s what I’m reading or watching’, screenshots of the reviews of my movies and so on. It’s essentially going deeper, trying to understand what someone’s into… that’s what Shelf is all about.” – Jad Esber, CEO of [koodos labs](/content/site-root.html). From the outset, koodos has focused on how we might invert the internet’s personal data model and give individuals more agency and control over their existence online. The company has built many apps that let us privately collect and manage our own data, and interfaces that help us interact with that data and get insights – but none of them worked until Shelf emerged. ## How does it work? The Shelf app, available on iOS and soon on Android, lets you connect various accounts, including Apple Music, Goodreads, Netflix, Spotify, and Steam—soon many more—and then builds a customizable “Shelf” webpage that updates automatically based on your consumption progress. You can also search for content to add or drop a link from any other service to your virtual shelf. To power Shelf, koodos developed [DataMover](http://www.datamover.org/), which allows users to share their personal data from any application to any other application and store it in their own personal data store. This enables individuals to control access to their data and use it to power new applications. Similar to Plaid, but for user data, DataMover has already been integrated into multiple apps besides Shelf. Here's how it works for Shelf: ## Private experience in testing In addition to letting users create public storefronts, Shelf has begun testing a private experience for users who prefer to track their own media consumption without sharing it. > “Everyone has a bookshelf at home in their living room or bedroom. So, why can’t everyone have a Shelf? Our physical shelves, from bookshelves to closet shelves, function as utilities—they’re where we store our stuff, not just for display. Similarly, we imagine Shelf becoming an important utility for internet users—a place for us to store our stuff in a way that gives us full agency and control over who has access to our data,” Esber said. Launched publicly this summer after a period of beta testing, users have added half a billion items to their Shelves. The number of Shelves is growing by 40% month-to-month, with users visiting their Shelf an average of five times a week to check in on or update their digital shelves or keep up with others’ shelves. Since its founding, **koodos** has raised **$7 million** from top-tier investors including First Round Capital, M13, Blockchain Capital, IDEO and others, as well as the founders of companies like Zynga and VSCO, and the people behind artists like Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, Lorde and Logic. ## Latest news about koodos [**Jennie on The Sound Mind podcast** Jennie Silber, founding engineer, features on The Sound Mind, a podcast exploring the intersection of music and psychology. Read More](/content/news/jennie-on-the-sound-mind-podcast/index.html) [**Cambridge University Highlights koodos co-founders** Recounting the story behind Apu & Jad Read More](/content/news/cambridge-university-highlights-koodos-co-founders/index.html) [**Business Insider: Gen Z is trying to log their way out of doomscrolling** Shelf Featured in Business Insider on the Rise of “Logging Instead of Doomscrolling” Read More](/content/news/business-insider-reports-on-logging-instead-of-doomscrolling/index.html) [**Mozilla & koodos team up on new paper** The most critical resource in the next era of AI isn’t compute or models, it’s who controls personal context Read More](/content/news/mozilla-koodos-team-up-on-new-paper/index.html) [**Personal Context Infrastructure** The most important evolution in personal technology since social media Read More](/content/news/personal-context-infrastructure/index.html) [**We're The First Company Listed in DTI’s Data Trust Registry** Helping set the standard for a more trusted, user-directed data ecosystem Read More](/content/news/we-re-the-first-company-listed-in-dti-s-data-trust-registry/index.html) [**Context Is All You Need** AI systems that understand you deeply enough to anticipate needs and take autonomous action will fundamentally reshape how we interact with technology. But who controls that understanding? Read More](/content/news/context-is-all-you-need/index.html) [**Pinterest Co-Founder Evan Sharp Boards Koodos, the Makers of the Shelf App** Thrilled to announce one of this generation’s most pivotal internet builders and designers is joining our Board. Read More](/content/news/pinterest-co-founder-evan-sharp-boards-koodos-the-makers-of-the-shelf-app/index.html) [**Tasteland ep.32: The Internet Is Broken—Can Taste Fix It?** koodos' CEO joins the Tasteland podcast and chats about Shelf, trends around technology for self-understanding and connection, and how we might get to a more agentic version of the internet. Read More](/content/news/tasteland-ep-32-the-internet-is-broken-can-taste-fix-it/index.html) [**The Next Phase of the Data Economy** Our pre-publication paper is out - and already one of the Top 10 pieces on SSRN! Read More](/content/news/pre-publication-paper-out/index.html) [**Lit Girl Summer: Our Era covers Shelf** Our Era Mag covers Shelf, the "Lit Girl Summer" trend and how people fundamentally love to share what they’re into with others -- especially in subtle ways Read More](/content/news/lit-girl-summer-our-era-covers-shelf/index.html) [**Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest Founders & Founding Team Members Join Forces on Shelf** The Old Guard Backs the New Read More](/content/news/tumblr-instagram-pinterest-twitter-and-zynga-founders-founding-team-members-join-forces-on-shelf/index.html) [**Los fundadores de Tumblr, Instagram y Pinterest y los miembros del equipo fundador unen fuerzas en Shelf** La vieja guardia respalda a la nueva Read More](/content/news/los-fundadores-de-tumblr-instagram-y-pinterest-y-los-miembros-del-equipo-fundador-unen-fuerzas-en-shelf/index.html) [**koodos' CEO Speaks to Ofcom on The Evolution of Internet Platforms & Digital Identities** Jad Esber, CEO of koodos, recently addressed Ofcom on the future of internet platforms and digital identities, emphasizing user control over personal data. Read More](/content/news/koodos-at-ofcom/index.html) [**Koodos Joins NVIDIA's Startup Program** Membership in the program affords Koodos special access to NVIDIA's resources Read More](/content/news/koodos-joins-nvidia-s-startup-program/index.html) [**HBR’s The Year in Tech 2024** Our team authored a chapter in HBR’s tentpole publication about the trend towards less zero-sum models for businesses built on data portability that expand the scale and type of value they can provide their users. Read More](/content/news/hbr-s-the-year-in-tech-2024/index.html) [**Progressive Decentralization: A High-Level Framework** A strategic approach for gradually transitioning from centralized to decentralized systems. Read More](/content/news/progressive-decentralization-a-high-level-framework/index.html) [**Personal Data Management Design Patterns** We’re co-hosting a Creative Residency with IDEO to explore design patterns around personal data management and provisioning third-party access to personal data. Read More](/content/news/personal-data-management-design-patterns/index.html) [**YouTube calls Shelf "the hottest new Gen Z app"** YouTube research team conducted a wide-ranging survey with young YouTube users and found Shelf to be "the hottest app" among that demographic. See Crush Music's newsletter entry about this. Read More](/content/news/youtube-calls-shelf-hottest-new-gen-z-app/index.html) [**koodos Team Featured in Business Insider for Disrupting the Social Media Landscape** The koodos team has been recognized by Business Insider for their innovative approach to transforming social media with user-centric apps. Read More](/content/news/business-insider-disrupting-social-media/index.html) [**The Next Phase of the Data Economy** New White Paper Explores The Forthcoming Inversion of Internet Read More](/content/news/the-next-phase-of-the-data-economy/index.html) [**Shelf Named One of the Top Social Media Apps of the Year by Business Insider** Shelf, a product by koodos, has been honored as one of the top social media apps of the year by Business Insider for its unique take on helping people learn about themselves and others. Read More](/content/news/best-social-media-apps-business-insider/index.html)