There’s an application and social network for nearly everything these days, so when a new tech tool comes on the scene it has to offer the user a unique experience. Burst, a Boston-based startup, is giving family-focused techies another reason to get excited about an up-and-coming platform. In the seemingly overcrowded social and mobile space, what separates Burst from Facebook, Instagram, Path, Social Cam and Viddy?
Burst is not your typical startup. Launching the niche photo and video sharing mobile app in June, Burst raised $3.5 million in capital in the seed round beginning last April. The family-friendly social network focuses on users selectively sharing secure content as opposed to the Instagram approach of sharing everything with a large, vast network.
“We want people to simply be able to selectively share with just family and friends, via a social network or across a national promotion with a publisher or major not-for-profit – ease and choice is our mantra,†says Burst’s CEO Bryant McBride.
McBride, a father of three, wanted to capture his children playing soccer and share the footage privately but couldn’t find the right solution. Â Not wanting other parents to miss out on those memorable moments, the 47-year old, along with Tracy Deforge and Paul Levy, created Burst.
Unlike its’ competitor Social Cam, which auto-posted content when people downloaded their app, creating a firestorm of bad PR, Burst has conversely focused on addressing online Internet privacy–a major concern for many tech consumers.
How Burst Works
The Burst app has built-in constraints that allow users to create a place of trust and intimacy for their customers.
Here is how it works…
- Download the App: First you download the Burst app to your smartphone, which is available on iPhone (3GS, 4 and 4s) and most Android devices.
- Capture Moments: Open the Burst app on your smartphone to capture photos and videos instantly. As soon as you snap the photo or record the video, it is automatically uploaded securely to the cloud.
- Share and View Memories: Burst integrates with the address book in your smartphone, so you can easily share moments with grandma or any list of people via SMS or email. Your moments are viewable via desktop, smartphone or tablet and recipients don’t need to download the app to view or save the content.
- Remove Content: Users can ‘Un-burst’ or remove uploaded content instantly.
Not Your Typical Startup Co-Founder
McBride is quite the serial entrepreneur and investor. The first African-American class president at West Point co-created and sold four companies in the sports-technology space, including Football Scouts, Inc., which was sold to ESPN and later became ESPN Insider, and Sports Technologies, Inc., which sold FanNation to Sports Illustrated/Time Warner. Prior to his entrepreneurial activities, he worked as vice president of business development at the National Hockey League. McBride and his business partners Deforge and Levy have consistently created value for investors by being at the forefront of digital technology.
People can connect with Burst on social media via Facebook and Twitter.