# Nathan Sharp

> Nathan Sharp is the Co-Founder and CEO of Retro, a friends-only photo journal app built on the belief that social media can be better - more intimate, more honest, more for the people you actually care about. A Harvard grad and Dartmouth Tuck MBA, Sharp spent six years at Meta where he helped launch Instagram Stories in 2016 before leaving to build Retro with his co-founder Ryan Olson. Backed by Thrive Capital, Dylan Field, and a constellation of top-tier VCs, Retro hit #1 photo app in Canada and broke into the US top charts in 2025, proving that people still want a social app that actually feels like talking to friends.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Retro (Lone Palm Labs)
- **Organizations:** Retro, Lone Palm Labs, Meta, Instagram, Nifti, Google
- **From:** Owensboro, Kentucky, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** AB, Harvard College, MBA, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth
- **Known for:** Led product launch of Instagram Stories in 2016, one of Meta's most successful features, Rose to Director of Product Management at Meta overseeing products used by billions, Won top prize at 2012 Dartmouth Ventures conference for Nifti

## Career timeline

- **Pre-2010** — Grew up in Owensboro, Kentucky; attended Harvard College
- **Pre-2010** — Worked in online marketing at Google
- **2010-2012** — Earned MBA from Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth
- **2012** — Co-founded Nifti, a price-alert shopping app, with Greg Kimball; won top prize at Dartmouth Ventures conference
- **2013** — Nifti raised $800K from Google Ventures and angel investors
- **2012-2015** — Ran Nifti with a team of seven out of Boston's North End
- **2016** — Joined Instagram/Meta as Product Manager; led the launch of Instagram Stories
- **2016-2022** — Rose to Director of Product Management at Meta, overseeing multiple products
- **May 2022** — Left Meta after six-plus years to co-found Retro with Ryan Olson
- **Summer 2022** — Sharp and Olson explored ideas in creator marketplaces, dating, and recruiting before committing to Retro
- **July 2023** — Retro publicly launched as a friends-only photo journaling app; covered by TechCrunch
- **April 2024** — Retro launched Journals - collaborative, shareable photo albums
- **2024** — Retro hit #5 in photo apps in Japan
- **2025** — Retro became #1 photo app in Canada and broke into US top photo app charts

## Achievements

- Led product launch of Instagram Stories in 2016, one of Meta's most successful features
- Rose to Director of Product Management at Meta overseeing products used by billions
- Won top prize at 2012 Dartmouth Ventures conference for Nifti
- Secured $800K in seed funding for Nifti from Google Ventures and angels
- Co-founded Retro and grew it to #1 photo app in Canada
- Broke Retro into the top US photo apps chart in 2025
- Built Retro to top charts in Japan (#5 photo app) without a public feed or creator economy

## Latest updates

- **2025-08** — Retro became #1 photo app in Canada and broke into top US photo apps chart
- **2024-11** — Retro reached #5 photo app in Japan
- **2024-04** — Retro launched Journals - a collaborative, shareable photo album feature described as 'photo-first WhatsApp groups'
- **2023-07** — Retro publicly launched on iOS and Android, covered by TechCrunch; backed by Thrive Capital, Dylan Field, Scribble Ventures, Box Group, Imaginary Ventures, Coalition, Conviction, Copper, and Positive Sum

## Links

- Website: https://retro.app
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathan-sharp-b9a97513/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/nsharp17
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nathanasharp/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/nathan-sharp
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-07