SocialCam

Market position

Socialcam was regarded as one of the leaders of the nascent mobile video-sharing category that emerged alongside Instagram's success in photos, and was one of the first in that group to exit. Rivals included Viddy, which raised $30 million from NEA, Goldman Sachs, Khosla Ventures and Battery Ventures and became the largest independent player after Socialcam's sale, as well as Klip and Mobli.

Socialcam was positioned as a video counterpart to Instagram, combining simple mobile capture with filters, themes and soundtracks and close integration with Facebook that drove rapid viral distribution. Coverage described it, alongside Viddy, as having reached critical mass in the mobile video-sharing category while operating with only four employees.

Technology

A consumer mobile application for iPhone, Android and Windows Phone for recording, editing and sharing video, offering filters, themes and soundtracks, plus a web presence and integrations with Facebook, Twitter and other social networks.

Go-to-market

Growth came primarily from consumer app-store distribution combined with aggressive social sharing on Facebook, where videos watched and shared by users were surfaced to their contacts, along with contact-book-based follow suggestions during signup. The company also pursued media and brand partnerships, including a news partnership with the Washington Post and campaigns by brands such as the Brooklyn Nets, Lipton Iced Tea, the New York Jets, Sierra Mist and General Electric.

Mainstream consumers capturing and sharing everyday video with friends and family on smartphones, plus brands and media organizations using the app to reach social media audiences with video.

Geography

The company operated from a single facility in San Francisco, California, US, distributing its app internationally through mobile app stores; its Washington Post partnership covered the 2012 Summer Olympics in London and the 2012 US national political conventions.

History

The Socialcam app launched on March 7, 2011 as a product of live streaming company Justin.tv. In August 2011 it spun out of the larger organization as an independent startup with a handful of employees, taking CEO Michael Seibel with it. It crossed 2 million downloads in October 2011, when it added video filters, and added themes and soundtracks in March 2012. Despite already growing quickly, the company entered Y Combinator's Winter 2012 batch — Seibel's second time through the accelerator after Justin.tv — and raised angel funding shortly after Demo Day. In May 2012 it redesigned its website and added a leaderboard. In July 2012, having passed 16 million downloads and with a team of four, it agreed to be acquired by Autodesk for $60 million, joining Autodesk's Consumer Products Group. The service ended on October 28, 2015.

Risks & controversies

Socialcam's sharp rise on Facebook in spring 2012 drew criticism for aggressive growth tactics. Reviewers called the app "invasive" and a "bully" for broadcasting which videos users had watched without their clear understanding, and raised questions about whether Facebook was favoring certain content. Reviewers also objected to sign-up flows that pushed Facebook login, pre-selected follows drawn from a phone's address book, and permissions allowing the app to post on a user's behalf. The company responded by making changes intended to make its sharing functionality easier to understand.