5by, the San Francisco-based company that was founded in Montreal in 2012, has launched its app in the Google Play store, for Android phones.
5by calls itself a personal video concierge, part of a growing trend of startups offering platforms offering passive viewing or listening experiences, like Songza for music. Users quickly input their moods and interests and 5by creates a personalized video playlist from its index of millions of online videos. With 5by, it’s actually possible to never search for videos again, as content recommendations are customized to peoples’ tastes as they watch and rate videos (although its unlikely, since people seem to enjoy searching some of the time).
“Mobile video is exploding and 5by is an experience unlike anything else available,” said Greg Isenberg, Founder and CEO of 5by. “There is an overwhelming amount of content out there and it’s scattered across apps and the web. 5by was designed to be fun, completely personalized and to eliminate the hassle of always looking for your next clip.”
The team only recently moved operations to the headquarters of its parent company, StumbleUpon, after building its team and growth in Montreal. The acquisition came in late September.
Approximately 100 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute and according to the Cisco Visual Networking Index, video consumption currently comprises more than 50 percent of all mobile activity, and is expected to climb to 66 percent by 2016. For 5by, the startup is seeing its users spending an average of 14 minutes watching videos.
It relies on a custom-built curation algorithm to deliver video playlists based on time of day, amount of time available to watch, and interest and mood. Videos are generally tailored toward moments of downtime or levity including between meetings or class, on the dreaded commute or even spending time on the toilet.
StumbleUpon, the company that acquired 5by, is a content and information discovery platform used by over 25 million people. More than 80,000 brands, publishers and other marketers have used StumbleUpon’s Paid Discovery platform to promote their products and services.
“Our enthusiasm for StumbleUpon and 5by reflects the continued demand and growth opportunities for companies pioneering solutions to discover and personalize access to all kinds of content,” said Accel Partners’ Sameer Gandhi, also a board member at StumbleUpon. “5by is an exciting new offering from StumbleUpon for the mobile video market, and it is well-positioned to be the leader in video content curation.”