Pinterest and its Inventor
Pinterest, the popular website and mobile application, has experienced rapid and immense growth in the past years, becoming a popular platform for sharing and curating images and other multimedia. We’re sure you’ve heard about this go-to website for finding all sorts of inspirational content, yet do you know who invented Pinterest and why?
In this article, we’ll explore the history of Pinterest and its creator, finding out who invented Pinterest and why. We also try to answer some important questions such as why it has become a popular visual platform, what its initial purpose was, and what makes it stand out from the other social networks.
Who Invented Pinterest?
Pinterest was founded by Ben Silbermann, Paul Sciarra and Evan Sharp and launched in a closed Beta version in March 2010.
Silbermann, born in 1982, was a collector at heart. From childhood he collected knick-knacks and magpie’s attention were captured by anything from postcards to Antique printing presses. He also had an interest in coding, having created simple webpages from a young age. After finishing high school Silbermann moved to Yale where he studied with the purpose of going on to medical school. However, he became ever more interested in many untapped potentials of the internet, drawing in investors and convincing them to join his idea to create a virtual pin-board.
Paul Sciarra, born in 1980, was also an ambitious entrepreneur. In 2004 he started a software company called Hunch, which he successfully sold in 2011. Sciarra was also an investor when Silbermann convinced him to join his idea. Additionally, he was the one responsible for coming up with the name of the website: Pinterest.
The third co-founder, Evan Sharp, was born in 1981 and was captivated by the medium of visual storytelling since his early childhood, where his favorite past-time was to draw comic books. In his adult life, design has been at the center of his professional focus and having studied architecture in college, his passion for art and design has driven him to master pursuits. In 2007 he joined Flipboard and worked as their head of design from where he came in contact with Silbermann, who later convinced him to start working on the project.
The Inspiration for Pinterest
Silbermann was already collecting things from childhood and from an early age, he was coding simple webpages, this was his initial inspiration. The idea was to create an online version of what he already did in real life, collecting and showing his items on shelves, like the classic vision of an antique shop.
That was how the initial business model of ‘pinning’ was born. Silbermann and his co-founders first worked on a platform called Tote, which was a share-array of collections. But then they realized that visuals were more attractive to the users and they decided to go to the route of pinning.
Pinning retained the same basic principle of collecting, but the visual twist made the platform more attractive and added another dimension. This was the beginning of the core concept of ‘pinning’that was later used on Pinterest and the idea of curating collections.
The Purpose of Pinterest
When Pinterest launched in 2010, in its Beta version, the networking website had an ambiguous platform and purpose. Initially it was a virtual pin-board, a website where one could collect and pin images from the web.
The primary purpose of Pinterest was to allow users to “pin” images from websites, allowing them to quickly post images of their favorite hobbies and interests, resulting in a public collection of inspirational photos. It also allowed users to share with each other what was inspiring them, providing a platform for people from all corners of the world to find inspiration.
What Sets Pinterest Apart from Other Platforms?
Although it started as an online version of collecting knick-knacks, Pinterest soon become an inspirational source of information, an online magazine and an incredible source of ideas.
It is no surprise that Pinterest had become so successful and a primary source of inspiration. The website was designed to enable people to easily upload, categorize, and organize photos that they find inspiring. Furthermore, it is incredibly user-friendly and allows users to quickly search and find what they are looking for. It also enables users to comment and ‘like’ each other’s pins, creating a whole community of shared interests.
Additionally, what makes Pinterest stand out from other platforms is its ability to curate content, not only from other sources but personal projects as well.
The Growth of Pinterest
Within a very short amount of time, Pinterest became a success and its growth was exponential. With help from venture capital fundings, it grew from 1 million monthly users in 2011 to 12 million in 2012. In 2013, it had more than 40 million users and this number increased to 250 million in 2019.
Today, Pinterest is one of the most successful online platforms. With its increasing number of users and its great potential, it has become a powerful source of inspiration, from book covers to fashion trends, from travel tips to new recipes, Pinterest is a go-to platform for everyone.
Pinterest is one of the most successful online networks, providing users with a wide array of inspirational visual content. In this article, we explored who invented Pinterest and why.
Silbermann and his two co-founders had the idea to create an online virtual pin-board where one could share and find inspiring content from different interests. So far, their vision has become successful and we see how it has grown in exponential growth in the past years.
Now you know the history behind Pinterest and some key background information of its creators, Silbermann, Sciarra and Sharp. We hope this article brought you closer to discovering who invented Pinterest and why.