photo-sharing
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A Sister's Wedding, a Quit Job, and the App That Won't Go Free
Sharmeen Mitha-Sehgal built Appy Couple after her sister's 500-guest Mumbai wedding turned into a logistics headache. More than a decade later, it still charges couples in a market that mostly gave the software away.
Candle
Candle is a San Francisco-based consumer social app that helps couples and close friends grow closer in about five minutes a day through one shared, random challenge - a question, debate, drawing or photo prompt, mini game, or local date idea. Founded by ex-Apple engineer Alex Ruber and ex-Twitter/Asana engineer Parth Chopra, the Y Combinator (Fall 2024) startup pivoted from an AI shopping tool and reached over a million users and a $1M+ annual revenue run rate within roughly six months of launch.
Mixbook
Mixbook is a Redwood City, California company that lets everyday people design and print highly customizable photo books, cards, calendars, wall art, and home decor. Founded in 2006 by UC Berkeley graduates Andrew Laffoon and Aryk Grosz, the bootstrapped-turned-venture-backed company pairs a flexible browser-based design studio with AI-assisted layout tools and print quality that has earned it top marks from Wirecutter and Tom's Guide. Its stated purpose is to help people be creative and connect with the people they love through the stories their photos tell.
SmugMug
SmugMug is a paid photo and video hosting platform that helps photographers showcase, share, protect, and sell their work. Founded in 2002 by father-and-son team Chris and Don MacAskill and bootstrapped without venture capital, it built a subscription business around customizable portfolio sites, password-protected client galleries, unlimited storage, and built-in print and digital sales. In 2018 SmugMug acquired Flickr, adding tens of millions of community photographers, and in 2022 the two brands launched the nonprofit Flickr Foundation to keep historically significant photos accessible for the next 100 years.