Industry | Mobile software |
---|---|
Founded | 2010 |
Founder | Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger |
Headquarters | San Francisco, California , USA |
Products | |
Number of employees | 13 (as of April 2012[update])[1] |
Parent | |
Website | instagram |
File:Instagram Screenshot.png | |
Original author(s) | Burbn, Inc. |
---|---|
Initial release | October 6, 2010 |
Operating system | iOS 3.1.2 or later; Android 2.2 or later |
Size | 12.5 MB |
Available in | English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish |
Type | Photo & Video |
License | Freeware |
Website | www |
Instagram is a free photo sharing program launched in October 2010 that allows users to take a photo, apply a digital filter to it, and then share it on a variety of social networking services, including Instagram's own.[2] A distinctive feature confines photos to a square shape, similar to Kodak Instamatic and Polaroid images, in contrast to the 4:3 aspect ratio typically used by mobile device cameras.
Instagram was initially supported on iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch; in April 2012, the company added support for Android camera phones running 2.2 (Froyo) or higher. It is distributed via the iTunes App Store and Google Play.[3]
On April 9, 2012, Facebook announced it would acquire the company (and its 13 employees)[1] for approximately $1 billion in cash and stock, with plans to keep it independently managed.[4]
History
Instagram development began in San Francisco, when Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger chose to focus their multi-featured HTML5 check-in project Burbn on mobile photography.[5]
On March 5, 2010, Systrom closed a $500,000 seed funding round from Baseline Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz while working on Burbn.[6]
The product launched in Apple's App Store on October 6, 2010.[7] Shortly after the launch, Josh Riedel joined the company as Community Manager.[citation needed] Shayne Sweeney joined in November 2010 as an engineer and Jessica Zollman was hired as a Community Evangelist in August 2011.[8][9][10]
In January 2011, Instagram added hashtags to help users discover both photos and each other.[11] In September, version 2.0 went live in the App Store (iOS). It included new and live filters, instant tilt shift, high resolution photos, optional borders, one click rotation and an updated icon.[12]
On February 2, 2011, it was announced that Instagram raised $7 million in Series A funding from a variety of investors, including Benchmark Capital, Jack Dorsey, Chris Sacca (through Capital fund), and Adam D'Angelo.[13] The deal valued Instagram at around $25 million.[14]
On April 3, 2012, Instagram for Android was released.[15] That same week, Instagram raised $50 million from venture capitalists for a share of the company that valued it at $500 million.[14] On April 9, it was announced that Instagram would be acquired by Facebook for approximately $1 billion in cash and stock.[16][17] The deal, which was made just before Facebook was scheduled to go public, cost Facebook about a quarter of the cash-on-hand they had as of the end of 2011; the deal was for a company characterized as having "lots of buzz but no business model", and the price was contrasted with the $35 million Yahoo! paid for Flickr in 2007,[4] a website which has since become among the 50 most popular in the world.[18] Mark Zuckerberg noted that Facebook was "committed to building and growing Instagram independently", in contrast to its common practice of, as CNNMoney.com put it, buying "hot startups, kill[ing] their products, and redeploy[ing] their staff on other projects".[4] According to multiple reports, the deal netted Instagram CEO Systrom $400 million based on his ownership stake in the business.[19]
Popularity
Users
By December 2010, Instagram had one million registered users[20]. In June 2011 Instagram announced it had five million users[21] and it passed ten million in September of the same year.[22] In April 2012, it was announced that over 30 million accounts were set up on Instagram.[23]
Instagram announced that 100 million photos had been uploaded to its service as of July 2011. This total reached 150 million in August of 2011.[24][25]
Instagram's new Android version in Google Play crossed more than one million downloads within 12 hours.[26]
Awards
- In January 2011, Instagram was the runner-up for "Best Mobile App" at the 2010 TechCrunch Crunchies.[27]
- In May 2011, Fast Company listed CEO Kevin Systrom at number 66 in the "The 100 Most Creative People in Business in 2011".[28]
- June 2011, Inc. (magazine) included co-founders Systrom and Krieger in its 2011 "30 Under 30" list.[29]
- In September 2011, Instagram won "Best Locally Made App" in the SF Weekly Web Awards.[30]
- 7x7 Magazine's September 2011 issue featured Systrom and Krieger on the cover of their “The Hot 20 2011” issue.[31]
- In December 2011, Apple Inc. named Instagram "App of the Year" for 2011.[32]
References
This article may rely excessively on sources too closely associated with the subject, potentially preventing the article from being verifiable and neutral. (December 2011) |
- ^ a b Ante, Spencer E. "Financing to Value Instagram at $500 Million". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved Apr. 9, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
(help) - ^ Frommer, Dan (Nov. 1, 2010). "Here's How To Use Instagram". Business Insider. Retrieved May 20, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ "Instagram comes to Android, available to download now". Engadget. Apr. 3, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ a b c Segall, Laurie. "Facebook acquires Instagram for $1 billion". CNNMoney.com. CNN. Retrieved Apr. 9, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
(help) - ^ Systrom, Kevin (Oct. 7, 2010). "What is the history of Instagram". Quora. Retrieved Sep. 2, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help) - ^ Siegler, MG (Mar. 5, 2010). "Burbn's Funding Goes Down Smooth. Baseline, Andreessen Back Stealthy Location Startup". TechCrunch. Retrieved Oct. 4, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help) - ^ "Welcome to Instagram". Instagram (blog). Oct. 6, 2010. Retrieved Oct. 4, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=
(help) - ^ Siegler, MG (Nov. 17, 2010). "Instakarma: Instagram Expands Team And Moves Into Twitter's Original Office". TechCrunch. Retrieved Sep. 2, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help) - ^ Beltrone, Gabriel (Jul. 29, 2011). "Instagram Surprises With Fifth Employee Small-staffed photo startup hires an early adopter to evangelize". AdWeek. Retrieved Sep. 2, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help) - ^ "Welcome to the Instagram Team, Oli Ryan". Instagram (blog). Aug. 31, 2011. Retrieved Sep. 2, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=
(help) - ^ "Introducing Hashtags on Instagram". Instagram (blog). Jan. 27, 2011. Retrieved Oct. 4, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help) - ^ "Introducing Instagram v2.0". Instagram (blog). Sep. 20, 2011. Retrieved Oct. 4, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=
(help) - ^ Siegler, MG (Feb. 2, 2011). "Instagram Filters Through Suitors To Capture $7 Million In Funding Led By Benchmark". TechCrunch. Retrieved Oct. 4, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help) - ^ a b Primack, Dan (Apr. 9, 2012). "Did Facebook panic?". Fortune. CNN. Retrieved Apr. 9, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help) - ^ "Instagram for android arrives". Retrieved Apr. 10, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
(help) - ^ "Breaking: Facebook buying Instagram for $1 billion". Fortune. CNN. Retrieved Apr. 9, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
(help) - ^ "Facebook to Acquire Instagram". Facebook. Apr. 9, 2012. Retrieved Apr. 9, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help) - ^ "Alexa Statistics Summary for flickr.com". Retrieved Apr. 9, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
(help) - ^ Isaac, Marc. "Facebook Buys Instagram". Wired.
- ^ "The Instagram Community – One Million and Counting". Instagram. Dec. 21, 2010. Retrieved Oct. 4, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help) - ^ Siegler, MG (Jun. 13, 2011). "At 5 Million Users, It's Hard Not To View Instagram Through A Rose-Colored Filter". techcrunch.com. Retrieved Oct. 4, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help) - ^ "The Instagram Community – Ten Million and Counting". Instagram. Sep. 26, 2011. Retrieved Oct. 4, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help) - ^ "Instagram for Android – Available Now". Instagram. Apr. 3, 2012. Retrieved Apr. 9, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help) - ^ "Testing, Testing…". Instagram. Jul. 16, 2011. Retrieved Oct. 4, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help) - ^ "150,000,000 Photos". Instagram. Aug. 3, 2011. Retrieved Oct. 4, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help) - ^ "Instagram Android crossed 1 Million Download in just 12 Hours". sKoolBoyz.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|AccessDate=
ignored (|accessdate=
suggested) (help) - ^ "Congratulations Crunchies Winners!". TechCrunch: The Crunchies Awards. Jan. 25, 2011. Retrieved Oct. 4, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help) - ^ "The 100 Most Creative People in Business in 2011". FastCompany. May 2011. Retrieved Oct. 4, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
(help) - ^ Lagorio, Christine (Jun. 27, 2011). "Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, Founders of Instagram". INC. Retrieved Oct. 4, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help) - ^ Swearingen, Jake (Sep. 2, 2011). "SF Weekly Web Awards 2011: We Have Some Winners!". Retrieved Oct. 4, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help) - ^ "The Hot 20 2011". 7x7 Magazine. Sep. 23, 2011. Retrieved Oct. 4, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help) - ^
Tsukayama, Hayley (Dec. 9, 2011). "Apple names Instagram top app of the year". Washington Post. Retrieved Dec. 9, 2011.
{{cite web}}
: Check date values in:|accessdate=
and|date=
(help)