Excl: Snapchat-like app Candidly raises angel funding

Candidly, an Android app that allows users to click and share pictures and make them disappear from friends' phones after 10 seconds, has raised angel funding from four investors.

"We are running lean and mean at the moment. Since the product is currently in beta, we will use part of the proceeds for test marketing," said Candidly founder Vinay Bharathwaj, a computer engineer and a serial entrepreneur.

He previously co-founded Confluenze Technologies, Mindspaze Educational Solutions, iBrahma Creations and IEF Solutions.

Launched early this year, Candidly allows users to click pictures, doodle on top of them or put their comments on them in voice or text messages, and share them with friends. An interesting feature of this app is that the sharer can make the pictures disappear from his/her friends' mobile phones. It also enables users to doodle, upload voice message or 10-second video over the pictures.

The beta version of the app has already registered over 8,000 downloads so far. The app will soon be going out of beta and the firm is looking to get certain traction before launching the app on other platforms.

The company said that it is currently also working on another feature in the app that helps friends and family collaborate and create a shared photo album on any event. It will also add a feature which helps users to share moments in a much more immersive manner, Bharathwaj noted.

"We have started incorporating the company. As you know, setting up a company is a time-consuming process, and compliance and audit take lots of time. We just want to deliver and concentrate on the product at the moment. We are based out of Chennai and Bangalore. Early next year, we are planning to open our office in Silicon Valley as well," said Bharathwaj.

(Edited by Joby Puthuparampil Johnson)