Startup aims to bring video messaging to the office

A short-form video app is making work chats more personal and efficient

Spotted: While the shift to remote and hybrid working as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has for many offered increased flexibility and a welcome respite from the daily grind of commuting, it has at the same time stripped away the social aspects unique to office life. From technical difficulties to screen fatigue, many of the apps designed to make remote work easier present their own challenges and struggle to replicate the nuances of human connection.  

The Californian startup, Popcorn, is on a mission to change this and make remote-work communication more fun and personal, by bringing short-form video messaging to the workplace. Described as “Zoom meets Snapchat”, the Popcorn app allows users to record and send bite-sized video messages called “pops”.  

The idea is that teammates can create pops to check in with colleagues or send quick updates to team members in replacement of long emails, direct messages or even meetings. Although sending short video messages is by no means a unique concept, it is typically associated with social media and until now, has not been deemed work appropriate. 

Popcorn presents a great way to add a personal touch to work-related messages. To send a pop, users of the app simply record a short video on their device and send the URL of the video to the recipient. To reduce rambling, pops are limited to 60 seconds in size. Popcorn also presents new opportunities for business networking – rather than sending a new contact a written message on LinkedIn, you could share your pop URL to leave a more memorable and friendly impression.  

Co-founder and CEO of Popcorn, Justin Spraggins, says the startup’s goal is to build personalised and fun work communication: “[we want to] bring all the stuff we’re really passionate about in consumer social into work, which I think is really important for us now. You work with these people, but how do you — without scheduling a Zoom — how do you bring the ‘human’ to it?”, he asks, adding, “I’m really excited about making work products feel more social, more like Snapchat than utility tools.” 

With more people working remotely, there has been an explosion in apps seeking to make online conversations more ‘natural’ or user-friendly. Ideas that we have recently covered here at Springwise include a collaboration platform that reduces information overload and a virtual platform that fosters social interaction by recreating spaces for socialising. 

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