Video messaging platform Sociagram has announced today that JumpStart, a nonprofit venture development firm supporting startups in Northeast Ohio, has committed to a $250,000 investment.
Sociagram offers custom plugins that developers can use to add video messages to their existing products or services. With the new investment, the company hopes to validate and complete the development of its white label, ecommerce-integrated solution.
Sociagram is aimed almost exclusively at online retailers who offer some form of digital gift service. The company provides a customizable JavaScript video plug-in, that means that any consumer can add a video message before completing a purchase.
It’s a one-click button that takes advantage of Sociagram’s webcam recorder, which is supported both as an in-browser or mobile API. The bottom line is that consumers can quickly capture a message and send it to their friends, family or colleagues without needing any dedicated software for recording or editing.
The recipient then receives an email message confirming the purchase, which includes both a link to the video and a unique QR code.
“Video has become an essential part of online interaction and communication, especially where it pertains to self-expression,” Ryan O’Donnell, Sociagram CEO and Co-Founder said. “Sociagram allows customers to integrate video seamlessly with their personal messages, putting a multimedia spin on a traditional gesture.”
Sociagram was founded in 2012, so it’s still too early to judge its platform as a success or a failure. The company says it already has a number of clients, including 1-800-Bakery, Ashland Addison Florist Company and Māk·a·boo, however.
Interestingly, the company also offers a stand-alone program, that allows any user to send a video greeting to mark various milestones such as birthdays or anniversaries. This isn’t available from the company’s website, although in a press release issued today, Sociagram describes it as “a simple and flexible platform” that allows users to choose exactly when and how a message is delivered.
JumpStart, meanwhile, has been around since 2004 to support more than 370 entrepreneurial clients. It’s also been an investor in 70 early stage companies from the Northeast Ohio area too, including Cryothermic Systems and Guided Interventions.
Image Credit: MAGAN CRANE/AFP/Getty Images
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