Selfie
New York, US · Founded 2013 · Delaware corporation · 7 known investors
New York startup behind the Selfie.com holding page, founded by Hugh Dornbush, which remained in stealth after 2013 seed funding.
Also known as Selfie Inc. · Selfie.com
Founders & leadership
Board
Investors · 7
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Reported raises · per SEC filings
Form D private placements$2.5M disclosed across 2 of 3 rounds · 2013–2014
▶$1.3MraisedApr 2015 · 6 investors · OtherRule 506(b)
- Hugh DornbushExecutive Officer, Director, Promoter
- Rick WebbDirector, Promoter
- Charles DornbushDirector, Promoter
- Offering amount
- $1.4M
- Amount sold
- $1.3M
- First sale
- Feb 2014
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2013
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$1.2MraisedMar 2015 · 12 investors · OtherRule 506(b)
- Charles DornbushDirector, Promoter
- Rick WebbDirector
- Hugh DornbushExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $2M
- Amount sold
- $1.2M
- First sale
- Sep 2014
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2013
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Selfie (Selfie Inc., associated with the domain Selfie.com) was a New York-based startup that surfaced publicly in September 2013 when an HTML5 holding page appeared at Selfie.com. At the time of reporting, the company had disclosed essentially nothing about its product; press coverage inferred from the name and the photo-sharing context of the period that it was expected to be a photo/selfie-oriented service, but no confirmation of features, platform (mobile versus web), or launch timing was provided.
The company was reported to have been founded by Hugh Dornbush, listed as CEO in an SEC filing, alongside Alex Lasky. Charles Dornbush was listed as a director in the same filing. Hugh Dornbush previously founded OMGICU, a celebrity-sighting website and app launched in New York in June 2008 that let users report celebrity sightings and post photos and videos; the iTunes listing for OMGICU had not been updated since 2011 at the time of reporting. He also held positions at DrillTeam Marketing and Rave Wireless, and holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from NYU's Stern School of Business. Co-founder Alex Lasky founded Addictive Networks and Bthere TV and also attended NYU.
Publicly available information remains limited to the 2013 stealth-stage coverage; no subsequent product launch, traction data, or outcome is documented in the available sources.
Founding story
TechCrunch identified Hugh Dornbush as the founder of Selfie, with Alex Lasky named as the other founder. Dornbush, a New York entrepreneur, had previously founded the celebrity-sighting site OMGICU in June 2008 and worked at DrillTeam Marketing and Rave Wireless; he studied psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and earned an MBA at NYU Stern. Lasky previously founded Addictive Networks and Bthere TV and attended NYU. Dornbush kept the venture in stealth, having reportedly quit Tumblr and Twitter in March 2012.
Business model
No business model was disclosed publicly; as of the 2013 coverage the company had not revealed a product, revenue approach, or whether the offering would be primarily mobile or web-based.
Latest developments
The most recent source-supported development is the September 2013 appearance of the Selfie.com holding page and the accompanying TechCrunch report; the sources contain no later information about the company.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Press framed the company against the crowded photo-sharing landscape of 2013 dominated by Instagram and its imitators, but the company's actual positioning was undisclosed.
Technology
The only publicly visible artifact at the time of reporting was an HTML5 holding page at Selfie.com that accepted username requests; the sources note it was unknown whether the product would be primarily mobile or web.
Geography
Associated with New York, where founder Hugh Dornbush is described as based and where he previously founded OMGICU.
History
An SEC filing indicated Selfie Inc. received at least $543.6k in April 2013, listing Hugh Dornbush as CEO and Charles Dornbush as a director, with investors undisclosed. On September 17, 2013 an HTML5 holding page appeared at Selfie.com, prompting press attention and username requests from observers including SV Angel investor David Lee. TechCrunch reported the following day that nothing substantive about the product had been disclosed and that Dornbush had gone into stealth mode, having apparently left Tumblr and Twitter in March 2012. An anonymous source told TechCrunch they had seen an early version of Selfie but provided no details.
Risks & controversies
Coverage noted that essentially nothing about the product had been disclosed and that the company was in stealth mode, so its prospects were unverified. Reporting relied in part on an anonymous source who claimed to have seen an early version of the product.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Timeline · 2
launches, deals, and filingsAn HTML5 holding page for Selfie.com went up on September 17, 2013, allowing username requests; no product details were disclosed and the founder remained in stealth.
According to an SEC filing cited by TechCrunch, Selfie Inc. received at least $543,600 in April 2013, with Hugh Dornbush listed as CEO and Charles Dornbush as a director. Investors were undisclosed.
$543.6K source ↗
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
Legal entities · 1
corporate structureIn the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- For young founders, selfie sticks are as vital as fundingbusinessinsider.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Selfie do?
- New York startup behind the Selfie.com holding page, founded by Hugh Dornbush, which remained in stealth after 2013 seed funding.
- Who are Selfie's investors?
- Selfie's investors include Betaworks, Fuel Capital, Index Ventures, Lerer Hippeau, Seedcamp, Susa Ventures, SV Angel.
- How much funding has Selfie raised?
- Selfie has disclosed $2.5M raised across 2 of its 3 known rounds.
- Where is Selfie headquartered?
- Selfie is headquartered in New York, US.