What Sidestory does

Sidestory, doing business as SNDMSG Inc. and incorporated in Nova Scotia, Canada, is a consumer mobile application company building a social networking and messaging product. The flagship Sidestory app enables users to compose long-form stories that combine photos, videos, and text in a narrative sequence and to share those stories privately with selected friends. Built-in 1:1 and group chat threads are automatically created around shared content, and the app supports contact scanning to surface existing friends already on the service. The company also integrates outbound sharing to Facebook, Twitter, email, and SMS.

The core product is a mobile application for iOS, currently distributed as a closed beta with invitation-only access, while an Android version is in development with a public waitlist. The technology stack is described as a cloud-based mobile messaging and social-networking platform with proprietary features centered on story creation, private sharing, and contact-based friend discovery. The company operates a product-led growth motion, relying on existing users to invite new ones during the beta phase.

Sidestory is pre-revenue. The app is offered free of charge during the closed beta in exchange for user feedback, and management has signaled a planned migration to a paid subscription model once testing concludes, though pricing has not been disclosed. The company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, no institutional investors mentioned in the available data, and a small team of 1–10 employees led by co-founder and CEO Gavin Uhma. Its customer base consists of individual consumer social messaging users seeking a more organized, visually rich alternative to mainstream group chat applications.

Name

Sidestory

Legal name

SNDMSG Inc.

Website

https://sidestory.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sidestory is a consumer mobile messaging app that lets users create and privately share long-form stories combining photos, videos, and text with selected friends. The app is in closed beta on iOS, with an Android version in development.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Messaging App

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)

SIC

Telegraph & Other Message Communications (4822)

akta.pro primary industry

Messaging-Led Community Platforms (Chat/Group Communities) (MPACAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community/Group Chat Platforms (BPAMACAH), Team Messaging & Chat (BPAMAMAA)

Keywords

• Social messaging app
• Mobile social network
• Private social sharing
• Digital storytelling app
• Multimedia messaging

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Beta Phase (Pre-Revenue): Currently in closed beta testing phase with no monetization. Services provided free for testing and feedback purposes.
2. Future Subscription Model: Planned migration to paid subscription version after beta testing concludes. Terms mention users will have opportunity to migrate to full subscription at rates to be indicated.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Sidestory is a mobile social messaging application that lets users create and share long-form stories combining photos, videos, and text privately with their friends. The app is operated by SNDMSG Inc., is currently in closed beta, and is positioned as a private alternative to public-feed social networks. Distribution is via the iOS App Store with an Android waitlist.

Product overview

Sidestory is a social networking and messaging platform offering mobile apps for iOS and Android. The core product enables users to create and share long-form messages and story boards combining pictures, videos, and text with friends privately. Sidestory for iOS is available as a closed beta, while Sidestory for Android is currently in development. The platform features private sharing, 1-on-1 and group chat, and integration with social media platforms for broader sharing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sidestory Mobile social messaging app that lets users create and privately share long-form stories combining photos, videos, and text with their friends. Targeted at individual consumers seeking a privacy-first alternative to public-feed social platforms. Currently in closed beta.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Snapchat: Snap Inc.'s flagship product pioneered the photo/video story format Sidestory builds on. Both products emphasize ephemeral and persistent visual stories shared with curated friend audiences, making Snapchat the closest direct conceptual peer.
• Instagram: Instagram (Meta) scaled the Stories format to a global audience and dominates private visual sharing among friend networks. Sidestory's story-plus-private-chat combo competes directly for the same usage moments.
• BeReal: BeReal is a private friend-sharing social app that succeeded by differentiating on authenticity and a constrained friend audience — the exact positioning Sidestory targets with its granular, audience-controlled story sharing.
• Locket Widget: Locket is a small-team consumer social app focused on private, intimate sharing with a select group of friends via a home-screen widget. Closely comparable in product scope, team size, and consumer-only positioning to Sidestory.

Broad incumbents

• WhatsApp: Meta's WhatsApp is the default private messaging app globally with built-in Status/Stories. It is a broad incumbent competitor for any time users might allocate to Sidestory's chat-with-stories experience.
• Messenger: Meta's Messenger offers 1:1 and group chat with Stories, Rooms, and media sharing. It competes for the same private group-chat-with-shared-content moments Sidestory is targeting.
• Telegram: Telegram offers group chats, channels, and media-rich messaging at scale, and is a known destination for users seeking richer, more private alternatives to mainstream messengers — adjacent competitive context for Sidestory.
• Discord: Discord operates community/group chat infrastructure with rich media sharing. While heavier and community-oriented, it competes for organized group-conversation mindshare that Sidestory is targeting in a lighter consumer form.

Emerging players

• Signal: Signal is a privacy-first messaging app with strong brand affinity among users who prioritize private, encrypted communications — overlapping with Sidestory's privacy-led value proposition.
• Threads: Meta's Threads is a text-and-media social network focused on public conversation with friends and creators. It is an adjacent emerging player competing for the same private-friend-audience content-sharing use case.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sidestoryapp
• Facebookfacebook.com/sidestoryapp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sidestory