Friend-focused photo-sharing app Retro snags $21M
Retro, the friend-focused photo-sharing app built by former Instagram product engineers Nathan Sharp and Ryan Olson, has raised north of $21 million in Series A funding, according to an SEC filing. The fundraise is a testament to the enduring need for social apps that connect people with one another more directly, instead of through personalized algorithms filled with creator content and now, often, AI slop.
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Key Facts
- Fact 1: Retro, the friend-focused photo-sharing app built by former Instagram product engineers Nathan Sharp and Ryan Olson, has raised north of $21 million in Series A funding, according to an SEC filing.
- Fact 2: The filing, dated August 19, indicates the funding itself was closed in December.
- Fact 3: PitchBook now estimates the startup is valued at over $100 million.
- Fact 4: Launched in 2023 as more of a personal photo journal, Retro has since expanded its feature set to let users privately share photos of their week with friends; create shared albums; view and share recaps; or “rewind” to time-travel back through photo memories.
Retro, the friend-focused photo-sharing app built by former Instagram product engineers Nathan Sharp and Ryan Olson, has raised north of $21 million in Series A funding, according to an SEC filing. The fundraise is a testament to the enduring need for social apps that connect people with one another more directly, instead of through personalized algorithms filled with creator content and now, often, AI slop.
“Something that has to be true and will be true is that people will still want to see more of their friends,” Sharp told TechCrunch in December, referring to how For You-style feeds have taken over today’s social media. “The photos and videos you take will need to find a place where they can reach the intended audience,” he said. Business Insider first spotted the SEC filing, which is under the startup’s name, Lone Palm Labs.
(Original synthesis pending human/AI review — generated by the stub provider by selecting real sentences from the source material, not by writing new analysis or commentary.)
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