Austin—Waldo Photos, a startup with facial recognition software that helps its users find photos of themselves and family members, has raised $4 million in a new round of financing led by Lewis & Clark Ventures.
Waldo plans to use the money to add to its engineering team and sales force, as the startup is expanding its service into schools and youth sports programs, in addition to the youth camps that already use its service, according to CEO Rodney Rice. Austin, TX-based Waldo currently has 15 employees, Rice told Xconomy over e-mail.
Waldo raised a $5 million round of funding for its launch in 2016 from Upfront Ventures. As Xconomy reported at the time, the facial recognition software can identify people in the photos—those who have signed up to use the Waldo app, not just anyone—and then connects them with the person who took the photograph in hopes that the subjects might buy the photo.
Waldo sells parents a subscription to have their child’s photos found and texted to them from events and activities they participate in, Rice wrote. The company is also targeting the service toward photographers, who want an easier means of sorting and sharing the vast number of photos they take. Photos can be shared on both iOS and Android, as well as the company’s Web platform.
