With so many online video creation tools around, Shakr has taken a broader approach by embracing two big groups from the demand and supply sides of video creation. On the one hand, Shakr provides a platform that enables After Effects designers to make great video templates, encouraging them to generate income from it. On the other hand, users can choose from thousands of video template options and easily edit them in a web browser.
With its office in Seoul, Shakr raised $3m from investors including POSCO Venture Capital last May, followed by super angel funding from 500 Startups, as they graduated its Accelerator program as part of Batch 10.
Users can drag and drop photos or video clips into the thousands of video templates the company offers. By providing an easy way to create professional quality video, Shakr especially attracted many small businesses, including restaurants, car dealers, manufacturers, events and more, with a 40% conversion rate. When TechNode reported about Chinese female founders in tech, we used Shakr to create the video.
โLiving in Seoul, just walking down the street, people are exposed to fancy videos in digital displays which captivate them. What struck me was that only big companies with big budgets could afford to create these kinds of advertisements or put their content on screen,โ Shakr CEO David Lee explained. โI thought it was inherently unfair that small business who donโt have the budget canโt tell their story, especially using video. Video is the most effective ad format today, with the lowest effective cost, while providing the greatest reach. So I thought itโs essential for small businesses to tell their stories with video, and thatโs why we started Shakr.โ
Some of Shakrโs designers are people who have worked for Nike, Samsung, JTBC, SBS, CBS and other major brands. Every time a customer pays to remove the Shakr watermark, the template designer gets 70% of the earnings. Shakrโs designer platform manager Inwoo shared her experience as a designer. โThe challenge for motion graphic designers is that itโs not easy to generate high incomes. When they work on an outsourcing project, they must edit a video several times until it meets the needs of their clients. However, designers can express their own style in Shakr and create their own brand,โ she said.
A large number of customers from around the world are using Shakrโs templates and the company is getting global attention. Shakr participated in AsiaBeat and made the Top 10 shortlist for startups on December last year in Taipei. โNow that we have an API partner called Rainmaker in Taiwan, weโll have great opportunities in the Taiwanese market,โ the companyโs China manager Laney said.
โWith our video templates, our audience is jam-packed worldwide. We donโt pretend to know how to expand to Japan or Taiwan, so Shakrโs global success has been driven by our designers. Anyone who wants to be a Shakr designer can create their template and post it on Shakr,โ Lee said.
Image Credit: Shakr
Editing by Mike Cormack (@bucketoftongues)
