Prynt just raised a $7 million Series A round led by GGV Capital. Prynt turns your smartphone into a Polaroid camera thanks to a phone case that can print instant photos. In addition to the hardware component, Prynt also has a nifty app that lets you scan photos to view short video clips.
The Prynt phone case started as a popular Kickstarter project, raising more than $1.5 million. You can now find the device on Amazon and in various stores, such as Best Buy, Target and Urban Outfitters. It costs $150. The startup also makes money on paper orders in the app, as well.
But why should you buy a Prynt instead of a Fujifilm Instax or any instant photo-printing device? Prynt has a couple of differentiating factors.
Moreover, Prynt is trying to invent a new format. When you take a photo with the Prynt app, your phone will also record a short video clip of what happens after you take the photo. The startup stores those video clips on their servers.
Anyone can then download the Prynt app and “scan” a photo by pointing their phone camera at a Prynt photo to view the video. It doesn’t just play the photo, it projects the video on top of the photo in a sort of augmented reality viewfinder.
TechCrunch (16 Nov)
