Kyle
Way before Viddy, SocialCam, and just about any other video app that you can think of, Pixorial was making waves in Englewood Colorado. Pixorial was somewhat ahead of the curve when it comes to video, online video editing, collaborative video editing, and sharing. Pixorial integrates all of that in a very simple and easy to use consumer facing interface.
They launched their first consumer facing product in 2009, again a couple of years before the video phenomenon.
Pixorial caught the eyes of the powers that be at Google as Pixorial was chosen as one of the inaugural 18 companies to partner with Google’s new Google Drive product. This partnership gives consumers access to the entire Pixorial tool to edit, collaborate, and share videos on Google Drive’s cloud based service.
Pixorial’s video product has the simplicity and ease of use of Apple’s iMovie HD in the cloud, providing a much more robust feature set then YouTube’s new video editor. In fact this year they’ve even added filters to their iPhone App.
We got a chance to talk with Pixorial in the interview below.
What is Pixorial?
Pixorial is a privately held company founded in the summer of 2007 and based in Englewood, Colorado. In 2009, we launched the industry’s first video platform designed for consumers.
Our web-based service makes it easy to upload, edit, organize and share your favorite video moments. Pixorial also provides an intuitive video editing experience so that video clips recorded on any device can be woven together with photos, text and music to create unique and beautiful movies in minutes. Regardless of whether video was captured on a mobile phone, webcam, film, digital or old VHS tapes, we give users the power to unlock their videos and enjoy them on the go, online or on the big screen.
You can also experience a whole new level of storytelling by collecting and sharing original videos with Pixorial. Our unique “Crowd” feature allows users to discover and share the original, editable, high-quality video footage that is most meaningful to them.
Pixorial was one of 18 companies selected as a Google Drive launch partner, and is the first video app to sync videos captured on iPhones and iPad devices with Google Drive. Integration with Drive means that Pixorial users can connect and sync all of their Pixorial videos with Google’s cloud service when they use Pixorial’s free mobile app.
We also have apps available on iOS and Android phones and tablets. Recently, we also added 12 adjustable filters to our iPhone app. Now users can capture video with real-time adjustable filters to create fun cinematic videos on the go.
Pixorial prides itself on providing more sharing options than any other video service. Users can broadcast videos to the social sharing platforms of their choice: Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Vimeo, Blogger, and more. Users can also share privately via email or using Pixorial’s Share to Crowd feature, which makes it possible to share editable videos that others can enjoy, edit and own. There are also options to create free customized Videocards or order custom DVDs.
Who are the founders and what are their backgrounds?
I founded Pixorial in 2007. As an entrepreneur with a background in product strategy, marketing and software development, I based the company on a simple, yet ambitious mission: to liberate all of the world’s video and make video memories easy to access, share and enjoy. I honed my technical skills during my early career at Oracle Corporation, where I managed the engineering team responsible for the rollout of Oracle 7 on UNIX platforms. I also spent four years in management at Internet pioneer Netscape Communications, where I played a leading role in shaping Netscape’s initial electronic commerce product strategy. After Netscape, I served as Vice President of Marketing of Open Grid, Inc., helping to secure a $19M round of funding for the company’s wireless Internet solutions aimed at Fortune 100 companies. After a short-lived early retirement and a sail across the Atlantic Ocean with my father, I turned to entrepreneurship, which allows me to leverage my technical know-how along with my product strategy, marketing and software development experience. I have a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University and a Master in Management from the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University.
Where are you based?
Englewood, Colorado
What’s the startup scene/culture like where you’re based?
The entrepreneurial ecosystem that exists in Colorado is unlike any other community I’ve experienced. A number of startup founders, like myself, have relocated here for the lifestyle. We earned our stripes, worked long hours, sat in heavy traffic and have chosen to bring our companies to Colorado. This is a state that naturally encourages entrepreneurship. The mentoring that takes place through programs like TechStars has attracted many young entrepreneurs to Colorado for mentorship and resources for building a business. Events like the Boulder/Denver New Tech Meetup are amongst the largest events of their kind in the U.S. Entrepreneurs from the Colorado Front Range gather, give feedback, and share ideas with other startup founders at weekly open coffee clubs, meetups and hackathons.
The Cliff’s Notes version? Colorado is absolutely one of the best places to start and grow a business.
Venture Beat recently ranked Denver as number three in the Top 5 American cities for startups, thanks to an impressive number of people identified as self-identified creatives (about 29.3% of the population). Education levels are also pretty high, with 69.1% having earned a bachelor’s degree or higher.
How did you come up with the idea for Pixorial?
One summer, I was busy digitizing my father’s large collection of film. I quickly came to two important realizations. The first is that in those videos were the collective memories of not just my parents, but also family members, friends and acquaintances captured in the videos. Clearly, these old family movies would prove meaningful to other members of our family – especially those who were unable to visit Spain to enjoy them. The second realization was that just getting that video converted was the tip of the iceberg. Once digitized, how could that video be shared with friends and family and how could they discover their own meaningful memories and share only what was relevant to them?
This experience drove the desire to create a platform where users could share and collectively interact with video from anywhere (analog, digital, mobile and HD) to where it matters most (privately with friends and family, and also social networks). Knowing that we all choose to share video differently, I thought it was important that the platform remove the barriers created by the walled gardens of social platforms, while also making it easy to share and store videos privately and securely.
What problem does Pixorial solve?
We remove the complexities found in all aspects of consumer video, and make it possible for anyone to upload, edit, collaborate, and share their videos – from anywhere.
What’s your secret sauce?
A platform built around the discovery of highly relevant personal video. We provide the easiest way to collect any video format, with the tools to edit and share what is uniquely relevant to each of us.
What’s one dilemma you’ve encountered in the startup process?
Awareness. As the startup market heats up, it can be a challenge to stand above the noise.
What’s one challenge you’ve overcome in the startup process?
Streamlining the user experience. We make it a point to really understand how people use Pixorial. With that information, we modify our design and communications to better fit with their needs. We make it a priority to understand our customers and build the product that’s made just for them.
What’s next for Pixorial?
We’ll continue to simplify video sharing and editing for consumers and educators through innovative design and smart partnerships.
Linkage:
You can check out Pixorial here
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