Looking to do something meaningful with those photos trapped on your iPhone?
Here comes Sworl, a new photo framing service developed by some of the folks behind Museum Quality Framing.
The free app for iPhone offers an easy way for consumers to frame photos, choosing the prints directly from their iPhones.
“We set out a challenge to ourselves to create a fast, fun and convenient solution to a seemingly simple problem: framing a photograph from your phone, “ said CEO and co-founder Tom Riley.
The company landed $424,000 in startup capital last fall, including cash from Seattle Sounders GM Adrian Hanauer and his venture capitalist brother Nick Hanauer. Other backers include former Expedia exec Greg Slyngstad; Zillow vice president of product development Garrett McAuliffe; and Mike Slade and Pete Higgins of Second Avenue Partners.
Prices for the framed photos range from $19.99 for a 4X6 desk frame to $79.99 for a 16X20 frame.
The company is operating under the name Industrial Generosity, with Riley leading the charge. He’s a long-time confidante of the Hanauer family, having previously served in a number of financial roles for companies such as Mad Pizza; The Seattle Sounders; Pacific Coast Feather and Northwest Framing.
There are other photo framing apps on the market, but Riley said that many of them are “overly complicated” and “trying to do too much.”
In addition to Riley, the company’s management includes CTO Chris Bryant, a Microsoft and Amazon veteran, and Helen Tapping, who worked for 17 years at Getty Images. The co-founder is Steve Dodd, the CEO of Northwest Framing, operator of Museum Quality Framing in Seattle and Beard’s Framing in Portland.
