Social media has evolved dramatically in the past decade or so. From being computer-centric, it has scaled on every platform possible, providing people the chance to consume content everywhere and anywhere. But then, the most recent addition, which spread like wildfire in the social media domain, was the usage of stories. Stories transformed how people showcased their daily activities and thoughts in general. One company focusing heavily on this and bringing stories to every platform is InAppStory.
InAppStory is a company that helps add stories into any application, and it’s nothing like the ones that you might find on Snapchat or Instagram. These are customer-centric and app dedicated such that every story is different, and users have the choice and design their own stories and share them. It’s quite innovative considering that it takes only 5-10 minutes to create one, and it’s simply beneficial to propel the application’s appeal significantly. Speaking with Vladimir Lastovsky, Venture Mirror learned a lot about InAppStory and understood its working and inception. Learn more about the conversation provided as follows.
What is the startup / product / venture about? Give us a brief description of it.
The platform enables companies to integrate Stories, including interactive ones, directly into their apps (“like on Instagram, but better”) or website.
How many co-founders are there? Please introduce them and their backgrounds.
I have a co-founder, Aleksei Azarenkov, a serial entrepreneur. Aleksei built several successful companies, including international ones, in many areas from fashion to IT. Aleksei supports the project strategic development and partnerships.
How did you come up with the idea? What motivated you to do this?
I saw the first case of App Stories used in Tinkoff, one of the leading fintech companies back in 2017. That was so innovative for me but a bit early for the market. I used their Stories every time I interacted with the app. And suddenly I realized – what if I copy that type of user behavior to other apps – content, travel, telecom, food etc. The Stories should be everywhere! They are so trendy on Instagram and all of this creates native usability for millions of people around the globe. Other apps should also benefit from this format.
Who is your target market? Why do you think your product will appeal to them?
We are targeting apps with enterprise scale. It’s obvious that millions’ budgets are invested in digital by big brands. Everyone wants to be unique and different. We give this leverage with our platform. Benefits for business come from higher conversions (compared to banners), effective onboarding, uplift in daily usage and new data about the customers. All in one product.
Who are your competitors? How are you different from them?
Our main competitor is Storyly. We provide similar services but we give more opportunities in interactive Stories (including online Games) and have our own creativity studio. For some clients we bundle platforms with creativity to offer all-in-one premium service.
What are the future plans with the product/startup? Any new features you are planning on?
Our main marketing goal is international rollout. This year we are planning to add more gamification options, live streaming and data management tools. We are now in the process of launching several branded in-app games for big brands. We also want to give more data for partners about their clients behavior.