Sitting on the balcony of the Instacanv.as Santa Monica penthouse, waiting to meet CEO/Co-Founder Matt Munson, I was startled by the black and white creature that jumped onto my lap and licked my entire face. Then I realized it was Kiley, the office’s Boston Terrier.
Alright, I already dig this place.
There’s no hiding that Matt is a Midwestern guy, as he walks out and offers me literally everything from water to a caffe latte (jk... sort of). From Michigan to LA, this gentleman of an entrepreneur tells us of how Instacanv.as came into existence.
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Instacanv.as saw somewhat of an ‘instant’ success, did you expect it to do so well in its beginning stages?
- None of us foresaw that. We launched about 10 products before we got to Instacanv.as, and actually started out as an education company. We tested the actual demand, and manually invited people to join. From only 20 invites, about 4,000 people signed up within the first weekend, all via word of mouth or friend-to-friend sharing. At that moment we realized Instacanv.as’ potential.
Who are your competitors in the market? What sets you apart?
- We are a creator marketplace, rather than a ‘print on demand’ company. We see similar businesses as inspirations, not competitors.
Why Instagram art? What inspired you?
- Meeting artistic people and experiencing their culture gave us the idea of making their art into real world objects. When you walk into most offices, there are usually shitty mass-produced prints hanging everywhere. Why not have something unique? Something personalized.
What is your next big goal?
- Making the buyer experience better, and connecting them to the extraordinary art that exists today. We technically have one of the most active art galleries in the world. We are always asking ourselves how we can make that experience unique and meaningful to the individual.
Any advice to tech entrepreneurs?
- The most important focus is on things that matter when they matter. Zone in on one metric at a time, doing it all at once is not a good way to start a business. Most startups try to hit the ground running by attempting everything at once. Initially they should be focusing on user acquisition and consumer demand. All that matters is that you understand who the user is and what their problem is, before you try and find the solution.
Instacanv.as is a marketplace for both amateur and professional photographers to promote and sell their online gallery of artwork. Prints are sold in 12, 16 or 20-inch square canvases and artists receive 20% of sales. The company has seen a tremendous rise in it’s infancy, with galleries in over 30 countries and 120,000+ users and artists to date. As a graduate of Los Angeles incubator MuckerLab, Instacanv.as has grown from 4-14 employees in only the past few months and plans to expand exponentially. We look forward to what the future holds for Instacanv.as and it’s amazing team!
