Dynamite Labs secures $1.6M in Seed funding for video app

Public Beta of DYNAMITE! Launches in App Store

NEW YORK, NY — Dynamite Labs (http://DynamiteApp.com) today announced closure of $1.6 million in Series Seed funding. The round is being led by Observatory Capital, a venture capital firm managed by Jonathan Perl. This investment will allow Dynamite, which has been in private beta, to launch its public beta and introduce new features focused on giving its community new tools to tell personal stories in video, whether privately with their friends or publicly.

Additional investors in Dynamite’s seed round include Gordon Bell (former head of R&D at Digital Equipment Corp and Researcher Emeritus, Microsoft Research), Paul Gauthier (co-founder Inktomi & former CTO Groupon), Scott Russell (co-founder Softbank Technology Ventures), and Timothy Tuttle (founder & CEO at Expect Labs, founder Truveo).

“Our mission is for Dynamite to be the place where you can share your true self, instead of the overly-crafted, perfect, happy version you share on social media today.” said Joshua Dern, CEO and co-founder at Dynamite Labs, Inc. “Whether you have something funny to share, or a meaningful story about your experience having been bullied, a victim of racism, or otherwise disenfranchised, Dynamite was created to support a new generation of voices and storytellers.”

Dynamite https://appsto.re/us/L_fW5.i is a totally new way to share stories in video. Dynamite’s video face masks and audio filters allow users to craft uniquely personal stories, whether they want to share their story publicly, anonymously, or just with friends. Dynamite videos are up to 42 seconds long, giving users time to tell a complete and compelling story.

“Millennials are most interested in watching and connecting via mobile video,” said Jonathan Perl, Managing Member of Observatory Capital. “The team behind Dynamite has successfully created video platforms used by over 100 million people, they have the experience and integrity to develop this platform into a cultural juggernaut.”

Dynamite was also designed to support pro-social movements and is working directly with community-based organizations, activating people to share their unique experiences dealing with complex issues. As part of its beta launch, Dynamite has partnered with the JED Foundation, the nation’s most active emotional wellness organization advocating for college students, to engage people to share Dynamite videos that are sparking change and creating a dialogue around the issues that are most important to young adults and teenagers (http://www.halfofus.com).

About Dynamite Labs, Inc.

Dynamite Labs is on an important mission — to make it easy for everyone to share their personal, provocative, and funny stories on mobile video. The founders are four experienced tech entrepreneurs responsible for apps already used by more than 100 million people.

The Dynamite App https://appsto.re/us/L_fW5.i is a totally new way to share stories publicly or anonymously with video face masks and audio filters. Users can create and share videos up to 42 seconds in length, and control who sees those videos, even if they want everyone except for their friends to watch. Videos recorded in Dynamite are shareable via Facebook, Twitter, or any website with embedded web player. Everyone has a story to tell, Dynamite is here to give that voice a place to be shared. The perfect mask can bring out the truth.