Frontback
Frontback was a San Francisco-based iPhone app company founded in 2011 that enabled users to create and share composite photographs using the device's front and rear cameras simultaneously, targeting consumer social photography use cases on iOS.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Frontback does
Frontback is a San Francisco-based, privately held company founded in 2011 that built a mobile application enabling iPhone users to capture and share composite photographs combining output from both the front-facing and rear-facing cameras simultaneously. The product targeted consumers and the social photography use case, presumably monetizing (if at all) via the App Store ecosystem rather than a disclosed enterprise or SaaS pricing model.
The company raised approximately $3.91M across three funding rounds between mid-2012 and late 2013. Investors across the rounds included notable seed and Series A funds such as Betaworks, Index Ventures, SV Angel, Lerer Hippeau, Fuel Capital, Susa Ventures, Initialized Capital, Hudson River Angels, and Seedcamp. No further funding events, product launches, partnerships, leadership changes, or M&A activity are recorded in the supplied data after November 2013.
The company's current website (frontback.me) displays only a loading and request-verification page with no substantive content, no product page, no team information, no pricing, and no app store references, indicating the service is no longer actively operated or has been substantially scaled down. Headcount is reported at 1-10 with no management team data surfaced, consistent with dormancy rather than active scale operations.
Frontback firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Frontback
- Website
- https://frontback.me
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Frontback was a San Francisco-based iPhone app company founded in 2011 that enabled users to create and share composite photographs using the device's front and rear cameras simultaneously, targeting consumer social photography use cases on iOS.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Frontback industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mobile Photography Software
- NAICS
- Photographic Services (54192)
- SIC
- Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Photography & Still Production (Stills, Product, Lifestyle) (MPAAAMAI)
Keywords
Where Frontback is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Frontback business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Frontback product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Frontback produces an iPhone application that captures photographs by simultaneously using the front-facing and rear-facing cameras, producing a single composite image that includes the photographer together with the subject being photographed. The app is targeted at individual iPhone users interested in creating and sharing self-inclusive photos through a dedicated mobile experience.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Frontback iPhone app A consumer iPhone application that simultaneously captures the front and rear camera feeds to produce a single composite photograph including both the photographer and the subject; intended for individual iPhone users who want to appear in their own photos.
Companies that use Frontback
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Frontback technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Frontback partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves3 records
Frontback competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Instagram: Direct peer as a mobile-first photo capture and sharing app. Instagram launched in 2010 as an iPhone photo app with creative filters — the same category Frontback competed in — and consolidated the consumer photo-social network via Facebook.
- Snapchat: Direct peer in mobile photo/video capture and sharing. Snapchat competed directly with Frontback for iPhone users' attention on creative camera formats (front+rear lenses, lenses, dual-cam captures) and ultimately won the network-effect battle.
- Camera+: Direct peer as a premium iPhone photography app offering advanced capture controls. Camera+ competes for the same enthusiast iPhone photographer segment that Frontback targeted with composite capture.
- Hipstamatic: Direct peer as a premium iPhone-first creative photography app launched in the same vintage. Hipstamatic offered stylized photo capture and sharing — the same differentiated mobile-photo positioning Frontback targeted.
- VSCO: Direct peer as a mobile photo editing and sharing platform with a creative/lifestyle aesthetic. VSCO competes in the same 'creative photo app' niche and has sustained a creator-community business model where Frontback struggled.
- PicsArt: Direct peer in mobile photo editing, collage, and creative sharing. PicsArt overlaps with Frontback's photo-creation-and-share mechanic and scaled via freemium + creator tools into a much larger platform.
- Pixlr: Direct peer as a consumer/creator photo-editing platform available on mobile and web. Pixlr targets the same casual photo-improvement use case as Frontback with broader platform support.
Emerging players
- Prisma: Emerging peer in AI-driven stylized photo apps. Prisma took the 'creative photo transformation' niche Frontback could have occupied further into AI-art territory and demonstrated the scale potential of stylized mobile photo tools.
Broad incumbents
- Flickr: Broad incumbent in the photo-sharing category. Flickr was the dominant photo community when Frontback launched and represents the legacy photo-platform incumbent that established the social-photo-app market structure.
- Apple (Camera / iOS): Broad incumbent and platform risk: Apple's native iOS Camera app is the default capture/share tool on every iPhone and has progressively absorbed creative capture features (Portrait, dual-cam, Cinematic) that compete directly with Frontback's value proposition.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
Frontback social profiles
Digital presenceFrontback financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Frontback leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Frontback funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors9 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frontback M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Frontback
What does Frontback do?
Frontback produces an iPhone application that captures photographs by simultaneously using the front-facing and rear-facing cameras, producing a single composite image that includes the photographer together with the subject being photographed. The app is targeted at individual iPhone users interested in creating and sharing self-inclusive photos through a dedicated mobile experience.
When was Frontback founded?
Frontback was founded in 2011. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Frontback based?
Frontback is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
Who are Frontback's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Instagram, Snapchat, Camera+, Hipstamatic, VSCO, PicsArt and Pixlr. Prisma is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Flickr and Apple (Camera / iOS).
Does Frontback have an API?
No public API is recorded for Frontback.
What industry is Frontback in?
Frontback's product category is Mobile Photography Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAAMAI, Photography & Still Production (Stills, Product, Lifestyle). Its NAICS code is 54192 and its SIC code is 7330.