Popcorn, a startup, wants to make communication easier at work. It allows users to record short video messages (or pops) that can be used to replace longer emails, texts or Slack messages. There are many places where you can record short-form videos these days. However, they tend to be in the social media realm which is not appropriate for work environments. It is not a good idea to send a phone-recorded video as an attachment to an email, when you are just looking to chat with a colleague or to say hello.
Popcorn allows you to create a short video and send the URL to the video to any place you wish to add a personal touch.
Popcorn could be used in business networking situations, such as when you're trying to reach out to someone new in your industry. Popcorn could be used with your work team for daily check-ins and sharing progress on ongoing projects, as well as to greet new employees.
Video can only be 60 seconds long. This is a time limit to prevent Popcorn users from going off-topic. If users do not wish to appear in the video, they can opt to record only audio. You can also speed up the playback speed for those who are in hurry. Pops users who wish to advertise their popcode could do so at www.popcode.com You can find mine at U8696
Justin Spraggins (Co-founder and CEO of Popcorn), came up with the idea to bring short-form video into the workplace. His background is in developing consumer apps. One of his first apps to gain traction back in 2014 was a Tinder-meets-Instagram experience called Looksee that allowed users to connect around shared photos. He co-founded Unmute, a social calling app that was a precursor to Clubhouse. Then he co-founded 9 Count, a company that developed consumer apps. This helped launch more social apps such as Juju and BFF (previously Wink).
Ben Hochberg, the lead engineer at 9 Counts, is also a cofounder of Popcorn, or Snack Break, Inc., as it is legally called. Their work on Popcorn began in 2020, shortly after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. The rapid shift to remote work in the days following could help Popcorn gain momentum among distributed teams. Remote workers today may not be able to return to the office for in-person meetings, but they are also tired of spending long hours in Zoom meetings.
Popcorn's goal is to make work communication more personal, fun and manageable, Spraggins states. He explains that they want to bring everything they are passionate about in consumer social to work. This is a really important goal for us right now.
These people are great to work with, but without the ability to schedule a Zoom, how can you bring them together? Spraggins says. I am excited to make work products more social and more like Snapchat, rather than just utility tools.
Popcorn still needs to learn how to make a business-oriented app that works. This includes adding enhanced security, spam mitigation, reporting for bad actors and more. Popcorn will eventually have to find a profitable revenue model.
Popcorn is available for free on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It also has a Slack integration that allows you to send video messages directly to your co-workers in the communication software you already have to stay in touch. Although the app is simple, the company plans on improving it over time with AR frames that allow users to show off their personalities.
General Catalyst (Nico Bonatsos), and Dream Machine (Alexia Bonatsos), provided $400,000 in pre-seed funding. Spraggins said that the company plans to raise a seed round to support hiring in the AR sector.
