Meet Session App, Winner of Startups of The Year 2024 in Zug, Switzerland | HackerNoon

Tell us about Session.

Session is a messaging app that protects user privacy by eliminating metadata exposure. It offers fully anonymous sign-up, with no phone number or email required, and uses decentralisation and onion routing to shield users from surveillance.

Session is a user-friendly alternative to centralised messaging apps that remain vulnerable to tracking, third party data collection, and censorship.

Tell us how your startup is changing the world.

Session was built for anyone who wants to communicate freely without having to give up their privacy. Your metadata including who you talk to, when, and where, is as valuable as the content of your messages. Most messaging apps track this by default. Session doesn’t.

Session doesn’t ask for a phone number or log your IP address. The app also doesn’t store contact graphs. That means there’s no obvious trail connecting you to your conversations. In a world where metadata is a commodity for advertisers, censorship is growing and governments demand backdoors in messaging apps, this kind of protection can make a real difference.

What really sets Session apart is its infrastructure. Messages don’t go through a central server; they’re routed through a global network of independent nodes. This makes Session hard to shut down, and control. It’s a system designed to resist political, legal, or commercial pressure.

You deserve a space to speak without fear, no matter if you’re a journalist protecting your sources, a citizen sharing sensitive opinions online, or simply someone who values control over your own data. Session gives people that space, even in the most difficult circumstances.

What sets you apart from the competition?

Many messaging apps advertise end-to-end encryption, but still collect metadata or rely on centralised infrastructure. Session’s approach is fundamentally different, as it’s built to minimise trust across the entire stack. It’s fully decentralised, uses onion routing, and doesn’t require a phone number or email to get started.

Session doesn’t track you, serve you ads, or retain any user-identifying data. The network is powered by a global community, anyone can run a node and contribute. It’s open source, transparent, and belongs to everyone. It’s a public tool for private communication.

Session is end-to-end encrypted by default, doesn’t collect metadata, and is stewarded by a Swiss foundation that does not collect profits. Session has also undergone independent, external audits that attest to its security. The model isn’t built around monetisation, it’s built around protecting the fundamental right to privacy.

What does it mean for you to win this title?

It means so much to see all the support and votes from the community. The privacy space is full of people doing critical work that often goes unrecognised. This kind of visibility is a reminder, to the contributors building Session, that privacy matters, and that what we are building together truly has an impact.

What do you love about your team, and why are you the ones to set out for this mission?

The beautiful thing about Session is that it’s a project that anyone can be part of. There are node operators across the world routing messages, open-source contributors collaborating on GitHub, and community members spreading the word, creating guides, doing translations and offering support. Session belongs to everyone who believes in the right to private communication. What unites the Session ecosystem is a shared mindset that privacy isn’t a luxury, it’s a right worth defending. Everyone involved has made a conscious choice to contribute to something that puts users first.

Looking back, what milestone was the biggest turning point for your startup?

The launch of the Session Token, SESH, this May marked a major turning point for Session. SESH creates the incentive layer for the node runners that keep the network running securely, rewarding community members for storing and routing messages. It also opens the door to new user-facing features like Session Pro and the Session Name Service, which introduces unique, tradeable usernames.

This upgrade ensures that Session remains a strong, secure, and decentralised alternative to centralised messaging platforms.

How do you envision your industry evolving in the coming years, and how will your startup stay ahead?

The public is waking up to how much data they’ve given away. Session will remain accessible, stable, and censorship-resistant as privacy risks evolve rapidly, so people still have a way to speak freely, even in difficult environments.

What goals are you looking forward to accomplishing in 2025?

Session Pro Beta is planned to launch in early Q4, focusing on convenience features that help users better organize messages, exceed free user limits, and customise their appearance within the app. Users will be able to purchase Pro access through traditional in-app purchases initially, with fiat payments converted to SESH on the backend to pay Session Network fees. These SESH tokens are burned and re-minted into the Staking Reward Pool, providing additional rewards for node operators.

Including Pro features we will have:

• Higher Character Limits for Messages

• More Pinned Conversations

• Higher Group Member Limits

• Exclusive Access to Animated Profile Pictures. Pro users can set GIF or animated WebP images as their profile pictures, adding personality and flair to their Session presence.

• Pro Badges

• Pro Verification

• In-App Purchases and Pro Membership Management

  And much more!