Loop

More than 70% of Americans have a social media account.

Yet roughly the same percentage feel their personal data isn’t protected on platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

Simply put, people enjoy using social media to stay in touch. But privacy is a major concern.

That’s why Loop was created. Loop is a private social network aimed at helping families stay connected. Through a mobile app and complementary digital frame, loved ones can post pictures and videos, comment on them, and create their own private social media feed.

(Note: Loop has surpassed $1 million in sales. And it’s raised more than $8 million from investors. Its notable professional investors include Resolute Ventures, Launch Capital, and Moal Capital. Its notable angels include board members from Pinterest and Coinbase, an early Facebook executive, and the former Vice President of Product with Twitter.)

With Loop, you control the content and network — they don’t control you. There are no ads or data poachers. It’s simply a safe space for family members to stay connected and share memories.

The idea for Loop started when Founder Brian Gannon’s son, Alex, was born. Gannon lived in San Francisco. Meanwhile, his parents lived in Boston. Brian wanted to keep them connected to his son’s life, but he didn’t want to post pictures of his son on social media.

So he set out to create a solution for himself and others that was simple, private, and could bring everyone “in the Loop.”

Loop wasn’t just built for privacy. It was also created to streamline how families stay in touch. Often, this is a fragmented experienced. Photos are sent (and lost) in e-mail inboxes, text messages, and photo storage sites.

Additionally, some family members have Apple smartphones, while others have Androids. Some older family members may not even know how to use the internet. This makes it tough to share photos and videos with everyone.

Loop simplifies this process. Here’s how it works:

A user invites family members to join through the Loop mobile app. Then, they create family photo albums and upload pictures/videos. Family members can comment on content, and create a private family feed.

Complementing the app is the Loop Frame, a Wi-Fi-connected display with a 10-inch touchscreen that rotates photos and videos in a slideshow format. This frame can be placed on the kitchen counter, in the living room, or in the bedroom. When new photos are uploaded, the frame “chimes” so family members don’t miss them.

According to a TIME Magazine article, “Loop is bringing modern tech to life in an old-school way.”

And as mentioned in a TechCrunch article, “Loop is a bit like a hyper-personal social network aimed at keeping your parents and grandparents in the loop.”

Loop has integrations with major cloud services like Google and Adobe Lightroom. This way, families don’t have to change the way they do things. They can even text photos right to the Loop feed.

Loop uses a razor/razor blade business model. It retails its frame (hardware) for $169, and sells subscriptions to its mobile app for $3 per month.

Sales to-date are primarily direct-to-consumer through its website, but the company completed a successful pilot program at 50 Best Buy stores nationwide. Loop achieves 64% gross product margins with its frame.

Team Background

Sital Mistry - Head of Software

Prior to Loop, Sital was the engineering lead of the popular mobile game “Words with Friends.” This was part of his four-year stretch with Zynga, a mobile gaming company, where he served as a principal software engineer and senior software engineer.

Before that, he was a software engineer with HipLogic, a technology company delivering mobile content to users.

Sital earned a Bachelor’s degree Economics from UC Berkeley.

Brian Gannon - Co-Founder & CEO

Brian began his career in the technology industry, working as a design engineer with Fujitsu, a global telecommunications company. From there, he pivoted to finance, serving as a management consultant with The Boston Consulting Group.

He then joined Maxim Integrated, a semiconductor manufacturing business, where he was a product manager and then a general manager. While there, he led the company’s video processing unit, a $100 million division.

Brian earned a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and an MBA from MIT.

Ethan Ballweber - Design

Ethan graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, one of the top design schools in the world. His focus is on industrial design and user experience.

Prior to Loop, he worked on a range of consumer products, including the “WIMM,” which became Google’s version of a smartwatch.

Co-Investors

LaunchCapital

A venture capital firm whose portfolio includes Life360, Airfox, and Digg.

Resolute Ventures

A venture capital firm whose portfolio includes Sunrise (acquired by Microsoft), BrightFunnel (acquired by Teminus), and MessageMe (acquired by Yahoo!).