\u201cBunz is special. The only question is: am I good enough to make this value known by other people?\u201d<\/p>\n
Firat Eren, Bunz<\/p>\n
After all the work he\u2019s put in over the last six years, the platform that once exceeded 120,000 members only had 200 daily active users (DAU) in June, mostly in Toronto. Now, Eren admits, he might not have done the best job picking up those pieces. Perhaps, he thinks, Bunz needs a younger face or two.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe problem is not Bunz,\u201d Eren told BetaKit in a Thursday interview. \u201cThe problem is me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eren did try to bring a platform he believed in back to its core principles: \u201cno cash, no discrimination, and no spamming.\u201d His first big attempt came in 2022 with a \u201chalf-cooked\u201d app update that brought usability issues, further hurting the user base. It wasn\u2019t until December 2025 that he managed to bring the app up to his standard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It now uses a new version of BTZ, the formerly controversial cryptocurrency that\u2019s now a \u201cuniversal trade item\u201d to support bartering. It also added a \u201cmountains\u201d system, which rewards consistent users and item traders with more features. Eren has just one problem with the overhaul: the users still don\u2019t like him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s an example: \u201cF\u0131rat, you are defensive and refuse to hear people, even though we are the people you are trying to convince to use this platform. And we DID use this platform before the unnecessary overhaul & the mountain climbing bs. Maybe engage in self reflection? This is really embarrassing,\u201d reads just one comment on a Bunz post<\/a> attempting to galvanize Bunz\u2019s small number of loyal users to grow the platform.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the post, Eren told users he would have to shut the site down if Bunz couldn\u2019t reach 1,000 DAU in any one city by September 1st. Despite getting into comment section disputes with users who \u201cdon\u2019t like me that much,\u201d Eren said he respects and loves them, just as he does the platform. Still, Bunz isn\u2019t anywhere near its goal, and Eren was getting ready to pull the plug when he had his epiphany.<\/p>\n \u201cBunz is special,\u201d Eren said. \u201cThe only question is: am I good enough to make this value known by other people?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n That\u2019s why he reached out to Martin and Josip Kristo, better known as @twinpranks on TikTok. They\u2019re a pair of 25-year-old twin brothers from Oakville, Ont., who have amassed millions of social media followers by filming videos and skits pranking each other. The twins originally connected with Eren in July to post sponsored videos about Bunz to help increase its user base. Eren could barely contain his glee while recounting a skit<\/a> where Josip lists all the items he would trade his brother for on Bunz.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThat was cool, man,\u201d Eren said through his laughter. \u201cThey\u2019re really nice kids.\u201d<\/p>\n Instead of a new skit, this time Eren asked if the twins would like to join Bunz as co-founders in exchange for \u201csweat equity,\u201d alongside four of Bunz\u2019s most dedicated volunteers. He\u2019ll sign over some of his stake to a new, younger founding team that\u2019s reinvigorated his faith that Bunz can rebound and once again become the app of choice for bartering.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re Gen Z \u2026 I don\u2019t even understand their jokes; they\u2019re goofy jokes, but people like them,\u201d the 54-year-old Eren said, adding that the new team will better understand the user base. \u201cBunz is gonna grow. I\u2019m expecting that\u2014without ego, without my heart\u2014I\u2019m saying as an engineer, that\u2019s what I\u2019m expecting.\u201d<\/p>\n Martin told BetaKit in a phone call that he and his brother truly believe in the app, and that he uses Bunz often, having traded things like phone cases, PS5 controllers, and duffel bags.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Martin](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Martin-and-Josip-Kristo-1024x684.webp\" "\\"Martin")
<\/a>Martin and Josip Kristo. Image courtesy Martin Kristo.<\/p>\n