 | |
 Mobli homescreen | |
| Owner | Moshe Hogeg |
|---|---|
| URL | www |
| Launched | 2010 |
| Current status | Inactive |
Mobli was asocialmobilephoto and video-sharing website founded by Israelientrepreneurs and brothersMoshe and Oded Hogeg. As of 2016 the service was shut down and the company placed into bankruptcy.
TheIsrael-based company had very high expectations to compete with similarly-purposed rivalsVine andInstagram.[1][2] but never managed to attain a reliable user base and was shut down in mid-2016.
CEO and founder Moshe Hogeg said Mobli's goal is to “make it possible to see what is happening in the world through other people’s eyes.”[3]
Mobli'smobile app allows mobile sharing of photos and videorecorded on mobile devices to its website where other users can view the content. Users can browse the websites content feeds inreal time by location, subject, or uploader.[3]
Hogeg compared the service toInstagram saying, “If the substance of Instagram is effects of pictures and shares, we want to offer the option of seeing what is happening at theEiffel Tower or at Barcelona’s Camp Nou Stadium.”[3]
Mobli apps were initially built inHTML5 but this approach was abandoned due to poor performance. The apps were re-built innative code oniOS andAndroid while dropping support forBlackBerry in favor ofWindows Phone. The new apps, also with a re-designeduser experience, were slated to roll out in late 2012 starting with itsWindows Phone app.[4]
A stand-alonesearch product that emphasizes location, time and relevance was slated to launch in early 2013. The product has an "autotagging" feature that canrecognize and identify certain objects from images.[4]
Mobli's main revenue stream was on-site advertising.[3]
Mobli was founded in 2010 by Moshe Hogeg, Oded Hogeg, and Emmanuel Merali.[5] Moshe Hogeg was thechief executive officer, Yossi Shemesh was Vice President - Production and Emmanuel Merali was the chief technology officer.[5]
Francis Bea ofDigital Trends said Mobli, which he called “[potentially] theYouTube of short-form video,” could succeed in debuting the next generation ofInternet personalities withYouTube “beginning to sway under the weight of its own hosted talent.”[1]
Mobli found early success in celebrity investors including American actorLeonardo DiCaprio who supposedly invested $4 million in 2011.[3][6] It was later revealed that DiCaprio's investment was actually less than $10.[7] DiCaprio's social involvement on the site attracted other celebrities.[6]
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In May 2012, CEO Hogeg said the company was prioritizing increasing Mobli'sinstalled base on mobile devices from three million to 10 million before focusing on turning a profit.[2] Hogeg planned to experiment with money-making strategies such as sellingvirtual goods, promotingsponsored posts and displayingtargeted advertising.[2]Mobli partnered withTropfest to host the festival's first Micro Film Festival contest, run by Mobli investor, actorTobey Maguire, on Mobli's TropfestMicro channel, a channel Mobli calls “a film festival in your pocket.” The contest, announced by Maguire in June at Tropfest Las Vegas, uses the designated Mobli channel as the hub for submitting and viewing short-form videos until deadline in January 2013.[8] The best video, selected by panel, receives $10,000 in winnings and will debut at Tropfest Australia 2013.[1]
The Canyons used Mobli in July 2012 tocast the role of Caitlin, a role that went to Lauren Schacher who was one of 125 who submitted auditions using the platform.[9]
In July 2012, Mobli announced tennis playerSerena Williams had invested an undisclosed amount in Mobli.[5]
In September 2012, Mobli was worth an estimated $100–300 million and Mobli said shared content had tripled over the previous two months. A series Bventure round of funding to develop its platform anduser base brought in $22 million including $20 million from Kazakhstani businessmanKenges Rakishev. Rakishev's funding earned him a spot on Mobli's board.[3][10]
In November 2012, a photo of cyclist and Mobli investorLance Armstrong relaxing in his trophy room and posted to Mobli by Armstrong accumulated more than 320,000 views in two days making it the most trafficked Mobli post for a 48-hour period.[11]
By November 2012, Mobli had received two differentacquisition offers.[4]
On November 6, 2013, Mobli announced that they raised 60 million dollars fromAmérica Móvil the Latin American telco giant led by billionaireCarlos Slim.[12]
In June 2015, Mobli launched an image search engine named EyeIn.[13] The feature was discontinued after Instagram blocked Mobli from their API.[14]
In May 2016 Mobli laid off its remaining Israel staff, retaining only its staff at its Europe operation. Later that year the company declared bankruptcy and fully closed down.[14]
Sources are telling us that this represents all of Mobli's remaining Israeli employees, though Hogeg insists that the company is not being closed down entirely. He says he is retaining an R&D team in Europe.