Fun photo app MomentCam snags series A funding from Alibaba

MomentCam, a fun photo app that transforms people into comic-like characters, started going viral this time last year. Now the Chinese startup behind it has revealed that it’s secured series A funding led by ecommerce titan Alibaba.

According to the Tencent Tech site, the funding amount is undisclosed. We’ve contacted Alibaba for details, but it’s unlikely the company can comment today in the hours leading up to its record-breaking IPO.

MomentCam claims to now have 160 million users (though startups often conflate ‘users’ with download numbers, which is misleading), of whom 60 percent are outside mainland China.

The startup’s co-founder, Huang Guangming, told the site that Alibaba’s input will be beneficial to its ongoing attempts at monetizing the free photo app. MomentCam already has in-app purchases for extra special effects, but the Chinese team is also weighing up other things, such as in-app gifting and even offline gifts.

Another major challenge is extending the life of a viral app. Can it be more than a one-trick pony?

MomentCam is free for iOS and Android.

See: This startup buys old shipping containers and turns them into urban hydroponic farms

(Source: Tencent Tech – article in Chinese)