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Ofoto

Consumer Services · Emeryville, United States · Founded 1999

Ofoto, Inc. was established in June 1999 by co-founders Lisa Gansky and Kamran Mohsenin, both of whom were internet veterans with a passion for photography. Gansky previously served as the CEO of GNN, an early internet portal, while Mohsenin had experience running Tunes.com. The company was born from their shared frustration with the inability to get high-quality prints from the burgeoning digital camera market. The service officially launched to the public on December 13, 1999, providing a platform for the growing community of digital photographers. The business operated as an online photography service where consumers could upload, store, and share their digital images. The core of its revenue model was the sale of physical products derived from these digital files. The company built its own digital photography lab to ensure quality control over the printing process. Clients could order professional-quality silver-halide prints of their photos, with the company later expanding its offerings to include 35mm film processing, a frame store, custom cards, and other merchandise. The service was primarily aimed at amateur photographers and general consumers who wanted an easy way to manage and print their digital and film pictures. A key feature was the provision of free, private, password-protected online albums, which encouraged user adoption and storage on the platform. Within its first year, Ofoto attracted over one million members. In early 2001, the company secured $41 million in a funding round from notable investors including Apple Computer, Hewlett-Packard, Benchmark Capital, and The Barksdale Group. This success and rapid growth caught the attention of Eastman Kodak Company, which was seeking to strengthen its position in the digital market. In May 2001, Kodak announced it was acquiring Ofoto, which then became a wholly-owned subsidiary. Following the acquisition, Ofoto continued to operate under its own brand and management team. In 2005, the service was rebranded as Kodak EasyShare Gallery to align more closely with Kodak's digital product family. Ultimately, after Kodak filed for bankruptcy, the Kodak Gallery assets were sold to its competitor, Shutterfly, for $23.8 million in 2012, and the service was shut down. Keywords: online photo printing, digital photo service, film processing, photo sharing, image storage, Kodak Gallery, photo merchandise, photo albums, digital prints, Lisa Gansky, Kamran Mohsenin, Eastman Kodak, Shutterfly acquisition, photo finishing, custom cards, photo gifts, online photography, silver-halide prints, picture storage, internet photo service