Posts tagged iPhone app

by Dave McLaughlin, CEO & Co-Founder of Vsnap

At Vsnap, we absolutely believe that business video messaging is a behavior that will be coming soon to a small screen near you. And we think this is cool because of how it helps businesses be more human – which we humans who are their customers tend to really like.

So I’m pleased to share that we have closed a $750,000 round of seed capital to help Vsnap lead the way toward what we believe is a $30B market opportunity for business video messaging.

This round is led by Ted McNamara, an entrepreneur and angel investor who was a founding team member of Rue La La and is currently an executive in residence at General Catalyst. Additional investments came from Boston-based angels Chris Stafford and former MFS CFO Joe Dello Russo (who also invested in my last startup). Also, MassVentures via the MassChallenge Fast-Track Funding Program and California-based Warm Springs Venture Investments.

All of those guys are amazing, and we’re super grateful for their support. But there’s another part to this story. A really awesome, humbling, gratifying part, which is that this financing includes investments from no fewer than seven small business owners, most of whom have never made an angel investment before now. These men and women are in businesses ranging from hospitality to healthcare, from production services to a pilates studio. We are immensely proud to have their support, because we’ve been building Vsnap for people just like them.    

I invited a few of them to comment on why they believe Vsnap is a game-changer for millions of businesses just like theirs. 

“Creating a personal connection with guests is essential in our business. Vsnap makes it really easy for us to deliver that personal touch at several new places in the guest relationship.” 

Patrick Lee, Partner, The Grafton Group

“Vsnap allows businesses to capture the impact of video in every-day communications that are too frequent for professional video services. All those small interactions in the sales process and in the customer service dialogue, that’s where customers really form their feelings about a business.”

Dan Carey, Partner, Essex Television Group

“I think it’s profound to imagine booking a room on the other side of the world, and then receiving a personal video message telling me my reservation is confirmed and that they’re looking forward to seeing me. That’s a practice we are introducing with Vsnap at 40Berkeley. It lets us welcome people even before they arrive in our lobby.”

Mark Maloney, Owner, 40Berkeley

“When my studio was shut down abruptly by the zoning board, Vsnap made it easy for me to personally ask my clients to continue working with me at my new location, two towns away. People told me they were really moved by those vsnaps I sent. And one hundred percent of my clients are still working with me.”

Nancy Keating, Owner, The Center, Pilates and More 

“I see Vsnap as a way for any business to make customers feel appreciated. It feels more personal and thoughtful than an email. For us, that’s an extension of the feeling we create in our restaurants.”

Jon Cronin, Principal, Cronin Group LLC

“Vsnap’s utility and value were immediately apparent to me. Our business is to make high-impact technology easy for realtors to use. I see fifty different ways Vsnap will help my business development team drive sales and referrals. To boot, our Relator clients can benefit from Vsnap as a tool to communicate with homebuyers, sellers, and renters.”

David Friedman, President, Boston Logic Technology Partners

If you’re one of our early users, thank you sincerely for helping us understand your needs as a business person. If you haven’t tried Vsnap yet, please do. Sign up free at www.vsnap.com, and we have free apps available for iPhone and iPad, and for Android smartphones and tablets. We’re rolling out improvements all the time now, and we’d love your input.

And if you still don’t quite get it, no problem. Just tweet at us (@Vsnap) or email me, dave@vsnap.com. Tell us what you do for work, and we’ll record a quick vsnap with some suggested uses just for you.