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A rising startup called Skylight has launched a new app of the same name and it recently received massive backing from one of the most famous investors in the world, Mark Cuban, who is best known for being the former owner of the Dallas Mavericks.

Cuban is only one of the many backers that have invested in the new app, and its goal is to challenge TikTok and its social media empire.

The novel experience that Skylight brings forth is the same technology that helped create Bluesky, building a different social media platform that looks to rival the Chinese titan and serve as an alternative for the public.

Skylight Gets Backing From Mark Cuban to Take on TikTok

If you have been following pop culture investments over the years, then one of the most prolific "sharks" from the hit television show "Shark Tank" has made another killer investment, but this time, towards a rising startup called Skylight.

According to the recent report from TechCrunch, the new social media platform is making a name for itself as it received backing from renowned names in the industry, including Cuban.

What is also noteworthy about the platform is how its developers and co-founders Tori White, who also serves as its CEO, and Reed Hermeyer, were able to develop the platform after only a short time.

Skylight recently launched its app on April 1 after only 10 weeks of development, featuring a short-form video-centric platform that replicates the many familiar experiences from TikTok and other vertical video apps.

This New TikTok Rival Is Using Bluesky's Tech

Skylight is using the same "AT Protocol (ATProto)" technology which Bluesky uses. This essentially means that all user uploads on Skylight would automatically be visible on other platforms using the ATProto.

The new experiences from Skylight offer the same social media features, including setting up one's profile, following other users, engaging on content (like, comment, and share), and using an in-app video editor.

TikTok Alternatives Are Growing Amidst Looming Ban

ByteDance has greatly captured the mainstream audience since it introduced TikTok all those years ago, transforming the entire social media landscape. This prompted many established companies to provide an alternative experience to TikTok, which opted to convert to the vertical video format instead of the traditional horizontal one.

Since then, the likes of Meta and its Facebook and Instagram Reels, as well as Google's YouTube with the dedicated Shorts experience have offered the experience that made online video consumption easier by only scrolling up and down. Later on, different platforms have tried out this modern video feed on their apps, with the likes of X/Twitter, Bluesky, and more joining the change.

TikTok also faced significant competition amidst its early 2025 ban from a fellow Chinese social media platform, RedNote, which gained significant popularity before and during ByteDance's platform shutdown.

TikTok may be back, but it is only a temporary measure as it is still required to sell its operations to a US company.

Originally published on Tech Times