Photobucket Corporation, a leading online photo sharing and print community, today announced the acquisition of Lasso Chat and Photo Messaging application. Lasso founders Alex Welch and Chad Podoski also join Photobucket, providing additional mobile talent and thought leadership to Photobucket. Alex was one of the original founders and visionaries of Photobucket and returns as an advisor and mobile thought leader. Chad has developed several successful apps including Flickpad, Smackback and Teletweet. Chad joins Photobucket as a mobile developer and thought leader. "Alex and Chad bring many years of mobile expertise to Photobucket and I'm thrilled to have them join the team," said Tom Munro, CEO of Photobucket.
Lasso was started in 2013 as a request-based photo sharing app. Lasso now includes features like chat and keeping track of the photos that have already been shared, making it simple and private to request and share photos with family and friends. "Lasso helps you maintain the relationships with the people you care about the most," said Alex Welch Lasso Media CEO and Co-Founder. "I'm looking forward to coming back to Photobucket. It's a new Photobucket but it still has the best of the old Photobucket. The Lasso Chat and Photo Messaging app is a great addition to the Photobucket product portfolio."
Photobucket was founded in 2003. It has seen a revitalization with the launch of the redesigned web and mobile experiences. Photobucket successfully launched their new print service on web last year which expanded to include mobile this year. The acquisition of the Lasso mobile app and mobile expertise is part of Photobucket's 2015 strategy and investment in mobile. "The market is focussed on group broadcasts that don't allow for those deeper sharing experiences with close friends and family," said Kate Hare, Chief Product and Marketing Officer at Photobucket. "Lasso extends the Photobucket mobile offering and provides consumers with a new way to have a photo conversation without having to post their photos on social networks."
