DISQUS

VentureBeat: Phanfare raises $2.5M amid extreme competition for photo-video sharing

  • Don MacAskill · 2 years ago
    Hey, nice article about Phanfare, but you managed to get some details wrong about SmugMug, I'm afraid.

    We don't require you to convert your video to an MPEG format yourself - you can upload almost any type of video you want, and we convert it to the very modern H.264 format - supported by QuickTime, iTunes, iPods, iPhones, Sony Playstation 3, and any day now, Flash (it's in beta), among lots of other things.

    So you get unlimited video storage at SmugMug, conversion and compression are automatic, and the videos are truly gorgeous.

    Oh, and you don't have to take perpetual losses - we've been profitable since our first year (we just celebrated our 5th anniversary). With $0 invested.
  • Matt Marshall · 2 years ago
    Thanks, have updated to reflect that. Sorry for misunderstanding. Congrats, too, on the profits.
  • A. Smith · 2 years ago
    @Don,

    Great job with SmugMug! It's proof that technology based start ups don't require outside investment capital. Many startups today that are not profitable aren't because the scale their costs too quickly with an investment from outside sources. They then have a very difficult time reaching profitability in the short time frame required by those same investors. Organic growth is a better path to profitability, though it doesn't happen overnight.

    Best wishes for your continued success.