5000
Messages sent on
launch day
$1000
Grant from the
Pollination Project
270+
Schools registered
on the platform
200
Rank on the
Apple App Store
17000
Lines of code
in v2.0
3.5
Avg. referral
rate per user
About the App
Compliments is a social app for social good. Its primary social cause is suicide prevention. Within the app, classmates send daily compliments to each other in order to raise money for the causes they care about most. Think of Facebook
as your social self and Compliments as your ethical self.
Compliments was launched in 2018 in the Apple App Store for Suicide Prevention Month. On launch day, 5000+ messages were sent by more than half of the student body at Calabasas High. In 2019, Compliments received a $1000 grant from the
Pollination Project as part of the organization’s ChangeMakers Grant initiative. With the grant, we were able to donate the funds generated by the previous months’ compliments to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. That same
year,
Compliments version 2.0 was released with an updated interface and a new suite of features. After three years of good words and a successful demonstration that social media can be used for positive change, we decided to terminate the app
in 2021 as we continue to tackle new problems with one line of code at a time.
“The little time it takes to change someone’s life has sadly been taken for granted, but thankfully with this app we can start to help one another with a simple message of kindness. It does not cost anything to help someone and this
app is a great example of how one person can make a change. This app allows us to send kindness to whoever needs it and it doesn't cost a cent.”
- App Store Review, 2018
“We have a yearly tradition called Warm Fuzzy Day where everyone in the school gets a warm fuzzy—a pom pom of yarn on a necklace. Throughout the day, you pull strands from your pom pom and give them to people with a compliment. They
tie the string onto their necklace. At the end of the day, the pom poms are depleted, but the necklaces are full of love. I’ve been trying to figure out how to do this digitally during covid-19, and this app is PERFECT.”
- App Store Review, 2020
How it Works
Users pick from a list of 4 algorithmically selected students to ensure equitable compliments. Points are rewarded for each message sent. Every month, students compete for the top leaderboard ranking based on how many compliments they
send. At the end of the month, the points are converted into donations towards a social cause.
“I just wanted to let you know that even if times may seem tough right now, you are already accomplishing so much and people like me are super proud of you”
- Message sent by a Compliments user
Levi Kline
Hi, I’m Levi. I am an 18-year-old dreamer and problem-solver based in LA. I am currently studying computer science at UC Berkeley ‘25. One of my many passions is business, but I also enjoy crafts such as photography, piano, digital
media, and software development. Where did I learn how to start a company? I attended Camp Bizsmart at Stanford University and have pitched at the Keiretsu Forum at Microsoft after winning several business competitions. I wanted to take
those experiences and turn them into a real business that also does good: Compliments.
Good Words Save Lives
