Directr
A mobile application company providing users with the ability to create movies on their phones.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | investor investor investor | €0.0 | round |
| investor investor investor investor investor investor investor | €0.0 | round | |
| investor investor investor | €0.0 | round | |
| N/A | €0.0 | round | |
N/A | Acquisition | ||
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
Directr was a mobile application company that provided a platform for users to create short, shareable movies directly on their phones. Founded in 2012 by Max Goldman and Eli Schleifer, the Boston-based startup aimed to simplify video creation for both personal users and small businesses. Goldman, who served as CEO, had previously founded TheApptitude, while Schleifer, the CTO, was formerly a software development engineer at Microsoft. Their combined experience in app development and software engineering underpinned Directr's technical approach.
The company's core product was an iOS application that guided users through the filmmaking process with storyboard templates, suggesting how to frame shots and structure a narrative. This feature enabled individuals and businesses to produce a variety of videos, from personal profiles and testimonials to product showcases, without needing editing skills. The app would then automatically piece the clips together, add music, and prepare the final video for sharing. Directr operated on a freemium model, offering a free personal version where downloading a finished video incurred a small fee, and a business version with subscription packages ranging from approximately $25 to $500.
After raising approximately $1.7 million in funding from investors such as NextView Ventures, Boston Seed Capital, and Advancit Capital, Directr caught the attention of Google. In August 2014, YouTube, a subsidiary of Google, acquired Directr for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition was a strategic move by YouTube to enhance its video advertising tools, particularly for small businesses, by making video ad creation more accessible and affordable. Following the acquisition, the Directr team joined YouTube's video advertising division, and the previously paid features of the Directr app were made available for free.
Keywords: mobile video creation, video editing app, storyboard templates, small business video, user-generated video, YouTube acquisition, video advertising tools, Max Goldman, Eli Schleifer, Boston startup, iOS video app, video-making application, marketing videos, film creation, social video sharing, short films, promo clips, mobile filmmaking