Locket
Locket is a free Android app that personalizes your lock screen with news and stories you care about. Download now! http://t.co/SDIj0Sy4Qz.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | investor investor | €0.0 | round |
| investor investor investor | €0.0 | round | |
| investor | €0.0 | round | |
N/A | Series A | ||
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
Related Content
Locket Labs operates as a photo-sharing application that allows users to share pictures directly to the home screens of their friends and family. The company was founded by Matt Moss, a computer science graduate from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a former Apple Worldwide Developer Conference scholarship winner. The idea for Locket originated as a personal project for Moss to stay connected with his girlfriend while in a long-distance relationship. After building the app and using it privately, he and his girlfriend found it to be a compelling way to share authentic moments. At the request of friends, Moss launched the app, initially called Locket Widget, on the Apple App Store on January 1, 2022.
The application targets users, particularly Gen Z, who are seeking more personalized and intimate connections, moving away from the broad, follower-based models of traditional social media. It functions as a widget on a smartphone's home screen, displaying live photos from a select group of up to 20 friends. When a user sends a photo, it instantly appears on the designated friends' Locket widgets. This creates a continuous, ambient stream of updates throughout the day. The platform is designed to be simple, with no public feeds, follower counts, or complex features, focusing instead on unpolished, real-time sharing among close connections. Users can also react to photos with emojis.
The company's business model appears to be focused on user growth and engagement, with the app currently being free to download and use. In August 2022, Locket Labs announced it had secured $12.5 million in funding. The investment round was led by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and included participation from notable investors such as Instagram co-founder Mike Krieger and Quora CEO Adam D'Angelo, as well as venture capital firms Costanoa Ventures and Sugar Capital. This capital is intended to support hiring and further product development as the company aims to expand its features for strengthening connections. The app gained significant traction shortly after launch, largely fueled by viral TikTok videos, and quickly reached the #1 spot on the App Store in over 30 countries.
Keywords: photo sharing, social widget, mobile app, close friends, home screen, private network, visual communication, Gen Z, authentic connection, intimate social