# Ello

> Ello reported 45,000 invitation requests an hour at peak times.

- Owner: Ello; acquired by Talenthouse in March 2018
- Kind: App & software
- Sector: Technology
- Seed date: 2014-08-07
- Milestone date: 2014-10-23
- Date basis: Documented milestone; not a measured attention peak.
- Spread Score: 48 (Notable, provisional), v1.3
- Mechanics: Scarcity drop, Pairing, Controversy, Platform jump, Press loop

## Summary

Ello opened by invitation, then surged during Facebook's name-policy dispute. It raised money and sold shirts. It later focused on artists, was acquired by Talenthouse and went offline in July 2023.

## Timeline

- 2014-03-18 — Ello (Open web) — Ello published its manifesto and invitation request box while the network remained private.
- 2014-08-07 — Ello (Open web) — Ello opened its ad-free network to the public by invitation with 90 users, according to its launch account.
- 2014-09-21 — alfredxing / Hacker News commenters (Open web) — A Hacker News submission about Ello attracted a discussion of its ad-free promise and viability.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/ello

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Ello.” Case HIS-01616. Spread Score v1.3: 48/100. Updated 2026-10-23. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01616