‣ Company name: Letterloop LLC
‣ Founders: Bharat Kilaru, Jonathan Weinstein, and Candace Wu
‣ Mission: To help friends, families, and communities stay meaningfully connected through a private group newsletter
‣ App launched: 2024
‣ Team size: 3
‣ Go-to emoji: 💌
Maintaining long-term friendships was tough for Bharat Kilaru, Jonathan Weinstein, and Candace Wu, especially when distance kept them apart. So the Letterloop cofounders turned their pain point into a purpose.
Their collaborative newsletter app, Letterloop, helps friends and families contribute to a group email. The project started as a low-tech labor of love. “In the initial days, Jonathan and Candace put together individual Letterloops manually,” says Kilaru, recalling how the two founders would format each email by hand.
Today the process is totally automated, but the original intention remains: to create deeper connections by asking intentional questions. We spoke with the team about the enduring power of email, the importance of asking better questions, and why speed is overrated.
Why did you choose to build an app around email, which many in tech might consider old-fashioned?
Weinstein: A lot of our users are multigenerational; they might be creating a newsletter with people ages 15 to 85. Email is what keeps Letterloop accessible to everyone. Everything we build in addition to email is great, but it’s not mandatory.
Can you share more about the app’s Question Bank?
Wu: Asking questions is the core of building intimate relationships, but often you don’t know what to ask. Letterloop gives suggestions to spark conversation and lets you ask anonymously, as yourself, or as Letterloop—whatever makes you feel comfortable. This helps create a warmer experience, especially for folks doing this with family members who might not ask these questions normally.
The app has since grown to help people create something richer than a simple email.
Kilaru: We started with just a few pre-built sections—core questions, a photo wall, and “One Good Thing,” where people shared something positive. Now people can add tons of small details that bring their Letterloop to life, like emoji and music. The music feature is a favorite of mine. Every song a group picks is added to what feels like an album made just for them.
Wu: Themes let you add a logo or banner, and we’ve seen some really creative ones. People will dedicate entire issues to a birthday, a trip, or a specific theme.
What role can Letterloop play in a world of fast-moving communication?
Weinstein: Intentional, asynchronous communication is one of our cornerstones. There’s a time and place for chat apps, but what felt missing in our lives is slower and more thoughtful communication. We’ve experimented with different default frequencies, but for most groups, monthly has proven to be the sweet spot.
Letterloop LLC is a part of the App Store Small Business Program. If you are a developer and would like to learn more about the program, follow the link below.