Startup Foko has a simple proposition: Social photo sharing shouldn't be limited to consumers.
A lot of users have cameras on their phones that are more powerful than the most expensive digital cameras from a few years ago. So why not allow them to share these photos in a work context, such as to optimize retail displays? An Instagram for the enterprise, you might say.
Before you scoff, know this: The bootstrapped startup, which is demonstrating its product at this week's DEMO 2013 conference, has been testing its product with a bunch of enterprises, including about five "Fortune 50" retailers, according to cofounder Eric Sauve, and has seen "really good engagement with those beta users, in terms of conversion of users into more users. That's been really positive, people inviting more people. It was surprising in a beta context."
The Foko app works almost exactly like Instagram, minus the filters, and with slightly (but only slightly) stricter security parameters. Users must sign up for the service with an email that ends in a company domain -- no Gmail accounts, for instnace. Once signed up, all other users who join from the same domain comprise a single "security group"; all users within the same domain can subscribe to photo streams shared by their colleagues. Users can also invite outsiders to specific photos. Comment streams are segregated, so outsiders won't see comments shared by employees, unless they are specifically invited.
By keeping the security restrictions relatively loose, Foko is trying to capture the same kind of viral adoption model that made Instagram so popular. "We tried to keep the simplicities that brought success to Instagram<' says Sauve. "The security model is seamless with the user, they don't have to know anything special, it still maintains security. bring same penetration of photo sharing that we've seen on consumer Internet to companies."
To keep things simple, Foko is purposely avoiding the "group" concept inherent in many enterprise social networks.
"I've seen groups murder social networking in companies," says Sauve. "Everybody wonders 'where do I post now?'"
Sauve has experience here -- his last company, Tomoye, was a social networking platform for SharePoint with some huge customers, including the U.S. Army. Enterprise social company NewsGator acquired it in 2010.
That's also how Foko was able to get so many big companies to participate in the its beta. In addition to a few big retailers, Sauve says, "We've also seen interest from some consumer packaged goods companies, people who sell into those retailers, fashion companies with integrated supply distribution chains. We've also had peripheral interest and participation from industrial manufacturing, financial services companies, and some educational sector folks."
The app is free, but within three weeks after the launch in the App Store and Google Play Store, Foko will roll out paid administrative tools for admins to manage users and delete particular photos.
Based on feedback from the beta, Foko is also looking at adding a web client -- it will launch only with native clients for iOS and Android -- and integrating into Active Directory so admins can create distribution lists based on Active Directory groups. The key is balancing usability with the security features that IT departments say they absolutely must have. So far, Foko is steadfastly tilted toward usability.
"We have a bias toward simplicity," says Fauve.
Check out Foko at this week's DEMO 2013 conference, on October 15 through 17 at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara.
