Denver, CO—Following the acquisition of Lasso Chat and Photo Messaging application, Photobucket Corporation, an online photo-sharing and print community, recently bought Milyoni. The Bay area Milyoni is a leader in social videos and the creator of Madcards, multimedia cards designed for mobile.
Lasso founders Alex Welch and Chad Podoski also join Photobucket, providing additional mobile talent and thought leadership to Photobucket. Welch was one of the original founders and visionaries of Photobucket and returns as an advisor. Podoski has developed several successful apps, including Flickpad, Smackback and Teletweet. He joins Photobucket as a mobile developer.
“Alex and Chad bring many years of mobile expertise to Photobucket, and I’m thrilled to have them join the team,” said Tom Munro, CEO of Photobucket.
Lasso was started in 2013 as a request-based photo-sharing app. It includes features like chat and keeping track of the photos that have already been shared, making it simple and private to request and share photos with family and friends.
“Lasso helps you maintain the relationships with the people you care about the most,” said Welch, Lasso Media CEO. “I’m looking forward to coming back to Photobucket. It’s a new Photobucket, but it still has the best of the old Photobucket. The Lasso Chat and Photo Messaging app is great addition to the Photobucket product portfolio.”
In related news, along with the acquisition of Milyoni, its CEO, John Corpus, also joins Photobucket as chief revenue officer. Milyoni (pronounced million-eye) was founded in 2009 as a social engagement platform for entertainment companies, brands and artists. Their partners include Universal Music Group, iHeartRadio, MasterCard, Columbia Records, Universal Pictures, Lionsgate, Fender, Monster Energy, and Paramount Studios.
Milyoni was the first to launch feature-length films on Facebook and also launched the first pay-per-view concert in 2011. Its Madcards technology converts digital content, including video and photos, into actionable cards for engaging mobile consumption, collection and sharing. It includes a variety of content options designed to maximize user engagement on mobile. Madcards come in card packs that can be customized to include photos, videos, commerce, polls and trivia.
Photobucket plans to keep the Milyoni office in Pleasanton, California, as their new Bay Area hub. With the acquisition, Photobucket gains mobile talent in product, development and brand sales.
“We are delighted to be a part of Photobucket,” said Corpus. “With 60 million monthly global uniques, Photobucket is an attractive publisher for brands. Combining Miyoni with Photobucket will benefit consumers and provide brands with a unique way to connect with their target audience through an immersive social experience.”
Photobucket serves over 120 billion photos and videos to more than three million websites every month. It plans to integrate the Milyoni social platform and combine with Photobucket’s reach across the Internet, enhancing the user experience on mobile while providing brands with a new way to connect and engage with their target audience. With 100+ million registered users, Photobucket Corporation is among the world’s leading dedicated photo- and video-sharing service. In 2014, Photobucket expanded to include a new web and mobile service for printed products. Its community can now create and purchase print products from photos that reside almost anywhere. photobucket.com
