Tiny Pictures

About Tiny Pictures

Tiny Pictures, Inc. operated as a pioneering force in the mobile media-sharing market, founded in 2005. The company was established by John Poisson, a designer and serial entrepreneur with over two decades of experience spanning retail, social media, and film. Before founding Tiny Pictures, Poisson had already honed his expertise by leading mobile media design and R&D at Sony in Tokyo and establishing two of Canada's largest visual effects studios, a background that directly informed the company's focus on visual communication.

The firm's principal offering was Radar, a mobile application designed for sharing photos and videos. Radar centered its user experience around a photo commenting stream, enabling users to instantly share moments captured on their mobile phones with a close circle of friends. This service was an early mover in mobile social media, allowing sharing across mobile networks and social platforms via email and mobile messaging. The business model was predicated on gaining traction in the nascent mobile social space, attracting a user base focused on sharing life moments with people they knew personally rather than broadcasting to a wide audience.

Despite developing a polished application, the company faced challenges in achieving a critical mass of users. In a key milestone, Tiny Pictures secured significant venture capital, raising a total of $11.2 million from investors including Draper Fisher Jurvetson Management, Mohr Davidow Ventures, and notable angel investors Reid Hoffman and Joi Ito. Ultimately, the company was acquired by Shutterfly on September 14, 2009, for a reported $1.3 million in cash plus restricted stock. Following the acquisition, John Poisson transitioned to a role at Shutterfly as VP of Mobile and Social Media, aiming to integrate Radar's mobile-first social concepts into Shutterfly's established ecosystem.