Kevin Systrom worked for Nextstop, a location recommendation firm started by ex-Google workers and ultimately acquired by Facebook in 2009. In his leisure time, he created Burbn, a platform that merged location check-ins with popular social games. After realizing that Burbn was too complicated, he teamed up with Mike Krieger and chose to focus on one specific feature: photo-sharing. As a result, Instagram was born, which they eventually sold to Facebook for $1 billion.
Now, Instagram is a popular photo and video-sharing social networking service. Users can post photos and videos that can be modified with filters and categorized using hashtags and geotagging. Posts can be shared with the general public or with followers who have been pre-approved. Users can view trending material and browse other users' content by tags and places.
Headquarters: California, U.S.
Year Founded: 2010
Founders: Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger
CEO: Kevin Systrom
Website: instagram.com
