4 Startups Proving That Velfies Are Replacing Selfies

The market for apps that produce video selfies, or "velfies" is getting very crowded.

As millions of consumers one-up their Instagram skills by sharing videos shot on mobile devices instead of just still photos, startups are launching apps that make the process fun and easy. Everyone from Kevin Hart to investors at Sequoia Capital is getting hooked on the trend. Vine arguably got the ball rolling with its popular six-second video app, but a new group of startups is taking things one step further. How? By adding sophisticated editing capabilities and other effects.    

So who is leading the charge in the velfie market? Here are four startups fighting for share of mobile screens.

• Triller. Music video app Triller launched on the App Store Thursday, creating yet another way for mobile users to shoot and share lip sync videos of their favorite songs. The New York-based company boasts intelligent audio and facial analysis technology that edits videos automatically. Users shoot a few takes of themselves lip syncing and the app cuts the clips together, with no post-production work required. The company will soon offer in-app purchases of things like higher-end video filters and additional visual effects. Triller expects to close a $2 million funding round in the next few weeks.
• Dubsmash. The Berlin-based company founded in 2013 lets users sync up audio of well-known quotes and sounds to videos of themselves shot on mobile devices. There is no editing--you only get one take--but that doesn't seem to be hurting the app's popularity. Celebrities like Hugh Jackman, Kevin Hart, Lena Dunham, Josh Groban and Rihanna have all shared Dubsmash videos of themselves on Instagram. Dubsmash has also claimed the #1 spot on the App Store in 29 different countries across Europe. 
• EyeGroove. San Francisco-based EyeGroove is an app that shoots high-definition videos and adds dramatic visual effects and sound to existing videos in your camera roll. Users can choose from the company's library of millions of tracks, but like Dubsmash, they can't edit multiple video clips together. EyeGroove has raised $3.6 million in funding from investors including John Maeda, a design partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
• Flipagram. Founded in 2013, Los Angeles-based Flipagram makes an app for setting still images and videos to music. Flipagram attracted more than 30 million monthly average users in 2014, according to the company, and was the eighth-most downloaded free app on the iPhone last year. Last week, Sequoia Capital, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Index Ventures announced a $70 million investment into the startup.

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