In a remarkable display of grassroots appeal, Daze, a new messaging app aimed at Gen Z, has racked up an astonishing 48 million combined views on TikTok and Instagram, with a whopping 156,000 sign-ups on its waitlist – all without a single influencer or paid ad. The startup's secret sauce? Engaging product demo videos that showcase the app's innovative features.

Founded by serial entrepreneur Willem Simons, Daze is a freestyle messaging app that draws inspiration from social media. Users can craft messages with a variety of fonts, styles, graphics, and more, making chats a vibrant, multi-colored experience. The app also leverages AI to power some of its creative tools, with plans to integrate more AI-based technology in the future.

With a November 4 launch date set, Daze has already seen promising results in early testing, boasting a 60-day retention rate of over 50% among its 1,400 invite-only beta users. The app's appeal is largely skewed towards the 13- to 22-year-old demographic, a testament to its Gen Z-focused design.

Daze has secured $5.7 million in funding from a roster of prominent investors, including a16z, Kindred Ventures, and Alpaca Ventures. With its innovative approach to messaging, Daze is poised to shake up the status quo and give established players like iMessage and WhatsApp a run for their money.