Sworl's Tom Riley
Sworl’s Tom Riley

It’s only been five months since Sworl launched, but so far, so good for the Seattle startup.

Sworl, a free app that offers an easy way for consumers to physically frame photos that they’ve taken with their iPhones, has raised an additional $334,000 from existing investors like Sounders FC General Manager Adrian Hanauer and his venture capitalist brother Nick Hanauer. Other backers include former Expedia exec Greg Slyngstad, and Mike Slade and Pete Higgins of Second Avenue Partners.

Tom Riley, CEO and co-founder of Sworl, told GeekWire that fresh cash will be used for a “new level of marketing effort.”

“Since May, we tested multiple marketing tactics and learned what worked and what didn’t, and now we are leveraging that knowledge to increase our customer base,” Riley noted.

Frame Orientation

Prices for the framed photos, which are built and shipped from Portland, Ore., range from $14.99 for a 4×6 desk frame to $79.99 for a 16×20 frame.

Riley added that over the past few months, his 3-person team has learned how the Sworl product is “naturally viral” thanks to the gifting and social aspect of the actual photo frame. The startup has a customer re-order rate of 35 percent.

“We now have a good approximation of the value of a download, and that allows us to spend knowing we have real sales and gross margin to support those marketing activities,” he said.

Sworl, which operates under the name Industrial Generosity, had previously raised $424,000 when it launched in May. You can download the iOS app here — Android is coming soon, the company said.

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