Eleven Years Since Instapeer: Reflecting on What Was—and What’s Still Needed

It’s hard to believe it’s been 11 years since Matthew Zachary and I launched Instapeer, a mobile app built for and by young adults affected by cancer. What started as a hopeful experiment in peer connection grew into something that touched thousands of lives—and though the app itself no longer exists, the mission behind it remains as urgent as ever.

Back in 2013, we saw a gap. A huge one. Young people facing cancer often didn’t know anyone their age who understood what they were going through. Support groups skewed older. Social media felt too broad. We believed technology could bridge the loneliness gap—could offer that “me too” moment that changes everything. And for a while, it did.

Instapeer wasn’t perfect, but it was real. People connected. Survivors supported each other. Patients found friends who got it. And we proved that peer-to-peer support doesn’t need a sterile conference room or a monthly meeting—it just needs access and empathy.

But time moves fast, and tech moves faster. We sunset the app a few years later, for reasons that will sound familiar to anyone who's ever built a startup in the nonprofit world: limited funding, shifting priorities, and the natural evolution of platforms and people. Instapeer had its moment, and we were proud of what we built.

Still, as I look around today, the need for what Instapeer represented hasn't gone away. In fact, it may be greater than ever. Mental health is finally getting the attention it deserves in cancer care, but too many young adults are still navigating their diagnosis alone. The isolation is quieter now—spread across fragmented platforms and buried beneath polished Instagram posts. But it's still there.

The future of peer support will look different. It should look different. But it should still exist.

Instapeer may be gone, but its spirit lives on in every DM between survivors, every late-night text to a cancer friend, every small moment where someone feels a little less alone.

There’s still so much work to be done. I hope we keep doing it.

P.S. To everyone who downloaded the app, shared their story, or helped us build Instapeer—you mattered. And you still do.