Lomotif
Unicorn exit · $5BAcquiredFounded 2014 · 11 employees on LinkedIn · 2 known investors
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Also known as LoMo · Lomotif Private Limited · Lomotif Pte Ltd
Investors · 2
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Lomotif (legal name Lomotif Pte Ltd / Lomotif Private Limited) is a short-format video-sharing social networking platform that lets users combine video clips and photos with music to create and share short music videos. The app provides editing tools including music selection from a large catalogue, cropping, text and titles, filters, and HD camera capture, along with sharing to social networks such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Messenger and WhatsApp, and formats sized for Instagram (square, 15 seconds) and Lomotif (16:9, 30 seconds). A Remix feature and an "atomic clips" model of reusable user-generated clips underpin collaboration between creators.
The company was founded in 2014 in Singapore by Paul Yang, who studied Communications and New Media at the National University of Singapore and game design at MIT, and who designed the product, wrote code and created the logo. Lomotif holds three technology patents focused on remix and collaboration for short video, and describes itself as democratising video creation. The app is distributed through the Apple and Google stores, and it has been positioned around hip hop, rap and urban culture in the United States and Latin America. In July 2021, the Lomotif business was acquired by ZVV Media Partners, the joint venture of ZASH Global Media and Entertainment and Vinco Ventures, with plans to rebrand the platform as "LoMo" in a North American marketing campaign; Paul Yang signed a five-year employment agreement and was named Chairman of the Board of Lomotif.
Founding story
Founder and CEO Paul Yang, a filmmaking major who previously owned a videography company and shot commercials, studied Communications and New Media at the National University of Singapore and took game design at MIT. Motivated by an interest in combining emerging technology and art, he set out to build a platform giving artists tools to create good-quality video, improve their skills and monetise their talent, and personally conceptualised the app, wrote code and created the logo. The first prototype was built with others in Singapore's BLOCK71 ecosystem before the team moved to San Francisco.
Business model
Lomotif operates a free consumer mobile application for creating and sharing short music videos, distributed via the Apple and Google app stores and third-party Android app stores. Growth was described by the founder as organic, without spending on customer acquisition. The platform built content and distribution deals with Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat, and worked with music labels and artists, positioning music and live-streamed events (for example the LiveXLive Music Lives 2021 festival) as part of its content strategy.
Traction
Reported metrics include 225+ million app installations globally, over 31 million on-platform monthly active users (June 2021), over 300 million videos watched per month, more than 10 billion atomic clips used to create over 740-750 million videos since launch, 120+ million lifetime creators, and average monthly community growth of over 400 percent over three years. The LiveXLive Music Lives 2021 stream drew over 37 million views on the Lomotif platform. The Android app lists 10M+ downloads on Aptoide with a 3.52 rating.
Latest developments
The acquisition of Lomotif Private Limited by ZVV Media Partners, the ZASH Global Media and Entertainment/Vinco Ventures joint venture, closed on 23 July 2021. The platform was to be rebranded "LoMo" and re-positioned in a North American marketing campaign, and a third-party valuation by Gemini Valuation Services cited in the announcement placed the combined companies above $5 billion as of 30 June 2021. The Android app's most recent listed release, version 2.37.0, is dated 21 March 2023.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Positioned as one of the larger short-form video platforms globally and described in press coverage and by its founder as a rival to TikTok and Kuaishou in international markets, and as an up-and-coming alternative to TikTok. The founder characterised the category as large enough for multiple players to coexist.
The company attributes its differentiation to creator tools and patented mixing/editing technology, the Remix feature, its atomic clips strategy, connections with creator communities, and vertical-video optimisation, together with cross-platform integrations with Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram.
Technology
The platform has patented technology for mixing and video editing; three technology patents have been granted since 2014, focused on enabling creators to share and watch short videos through remix and collaboration. Product features include music-track syncing over clips and photos, cropping, text and titles, filters, HD capture, square/Instagram and 16:9 formats, a Remix feature, an "atomic clips" approach to reusable user-generated content, and vertical-format video optimisation used for live-streamed events.
Go-to-market
Distribution through mobile app stores with organic, creator-led growth rather than paid acquisition; partnerships with social platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, including a bi-directional Snapchat Stories integration as one of five selected partners), music labels and artists, and event live-streaming partnerships such as LiveXLive's Music Lives 2021.
Consumer creators and viewers of short-form video, particularly Gen Z and millennials; the app has been positioned for hip hop, rap and urban culture audiences in the United States and Latin America, and is used by creators ranging from nano-creators to celebrity musicians.
Geography
Headquartered in Singapore, with a team presence in San Francisco. The app has been installed in over 200 countries and supports 300+ languages, with user communities across Asia, Europe and South America and a marketing focus on the United States and Latin America. Expansion into India was underway in 2021, a market where competitor TikTok was banned.
History
Established in 2014 in Singapore, with an initial prototype developed at the BLOCK71 startup ecosystem. The team relocated to San Francisco, where the founder spent about 2.5 years refining the product and seeking investors. In 2016 Lomotif became the first local, non-Stanford startup accepted into StartX, the Stanford University-backed accelerator. In 2021, ZASH Global Media and Entertainment announced the purchase of a majority 80% controlling stake, reported at about US$125 million; the acquisition closed on 23 July 2021 through ZVV Media Partners, the joint venture between ZASH and Vinco Ventures.
Risks & controversies
Building a social media company from Singapore was described by the founder as challenging because the market has been slower to adopt new media technologies and trends than markets such as Brazil or China. The acquiring group's co-founders include Ted Farnsworth, the financier and former MoviePass chairman.
Compiled by commissioned research from 6 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 7
launches, deals, and filingsVersion 2.37.0 of the Lomotif Android app was published, described as containing backend improvements.
Vinco Ventures, Inc. (NASDAQ: BBIG) and ZASH Global Media and Entertainment announced the closing of the acquisition of Lomotif Private Limited through their joint venture ZVV Media. Paul Yang entered a five-year employment agreement and was named Chairman of the Board of Lomotif; the platform was to be rebranded LoMo. BTIG advised ZASH on the buy side, Palladium Capital Group advised on the capital raise, DLA Piper advised ZASH and Cooley LLP represented Lomotif.
Lomotif holds content deals with Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat, and is one of five partners selected by Snapchat for a bi-directional integration for posting stories between the two platforms.
Press coverage reported that ZASH would pay about US$125 million for a majority controlling stake of 80 percent in Lomotif. ZASH co-founders include Ted Farnsworth, Jaeson Ma and Vincent Butta.
$125M source ↗
Global expansion into India, described as the world's second largest market and a country where competitor TikTok is banned, was underway in 2021.
Lomotif partnered with LiveXLive for global live streaming distribution of the Music Lives 2021 annual global music festival, featuring performers including Pitbull, John Mayer, Wiz Khalifa and Zac Brown Band; reported as the first concert of that scale live-streamed in vertical video format, drawing over 37 million views on Lomotif.
Lomotif became the first local, non-Stanford startup accepted into StartX, an accelerator backed by Stanford University.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 6
primary sources listed
- Lomotiflomotif.com · web
6 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Lomotif do?
- Singapore-founded short-form video-sharing and music video creation app, acquired in 2021 by the ZASH/Vinco Ventures joint venture ZVV Media.
- Who are Lomotif's investors?
- Lomotif's investors include Golden Gate Ventures, K3 Ventures.