Social audio exploded during the pandemic, from live conversations on Clubhouse and Twitter to sending voice notes to friends on WhatsApp and iMessage. Now tech companies, including several startups and Meta Platforms' Facebook app, are trying a new format: short audio snippets shared by people you may not already know.  

Racket, which provides technology to publish and share short audio clips, is launching its iOS app this week after testing with a limited number of users. The seven-person company, founded earlier this year, has raised $3 million in pre-seed funding from investors including Greycroft, Foundation Capital and LightShed Ventures, the company exclusively tells The Information. It will use it to hire more engineers and build its Android version.