Sincerely

High-Level Overview

Sincerely is a mobile-first technology company that develops apps enabling users to send physical greeting cards, postcards, photo prints, gifts, and flowers directly from their smartphones.[1][2][3] It serves consumers seeking convenient, thoughtful ways to connect with loved ones, solving the problem of scaling personal gestures in a digital age by bridging mobile interfaces with physical delivery.[1][2] Apps like Postagram, Ink Cards, and Sesame Gifts powered early growth, reaching 6.5 million downloads and shipping to 1.5 million U.S. households by 2013, with reported revenue of $5.7 million in 2024 from a lean team of about 10 employees in San Francisco.[1][4]

Origin Story

Founded in 2011 in San Francisco, California, Sincerely was started by Matt Brezina, who served as its initial CEO and drove a rapid product launch strategy.[1][2][4] Brezina, a Y Combinator alumnus, built the company around the vision of "scaling the thoughtfulness of relationships" through mobile apps, beginning with hits like Postagram for turning photos into postcards.[2][4] Early traction came from quick iterations—launching about 15 apps in nine months, including off-brand tests in Canada—refining user insights before U.S. rollout.[2] A pivotal moment arrived in 2013 when Provide Commerce (behind ProFlowers and Shari’s Berries) acquired Sincerely in an all-cash deal, integrating its tech while retaining the full 14-person team to expand offerings.[4]

Core Differentiators

• Rapid App Development: Sincerely excelled at launching products quickly (e.g., 15 apps in nine months), using "ugly" prototypes for testing in secondary markets like Canada before polishing for the U.S.[2]
• Robust JSON API: A snappy API handles payments, fulfillment, user accounts, and printing, simplifying engineering, enabling third-party integrations (over 30 apps used their photo-sending library), and opening commercialization paths.[2]
• Mobile-Native Gifting at Low Price Points: Apps like Postagram (postcards from 99¢) and Ink Cards made physical gestures accessible via phone, contrasting higher-end e-commerce, with seamless order-to-delivery.[2][4]
• Autonomous Team Structure: Small product teams (one designer, one engineer) get 4-6 hours of uninterrupted development daily, maximizing output from a lean 10-14 person operation.[1][2][4]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Sincerely rode the early 2010s mobile commerce wave, capitalizing on smartphone ubiquity to disrupt traditional gifting by turning casual digital shares (e.g., photos) into tangible items.[2][4] Timing was ideal post-iPhone app boom, when consumers craved frictionless physical-digital hybrids amid rising e-commerce but lagging mobile fulfillment.[4] Market forces like Provide Commerce's acquisition amplified this, blending Sincerely's API-driven mobile tech with established supply chains for flowers and berries, influencing how brands like ProFlowers entered low-cost mobile gifting.[4] It shaped the startup ecosystem by proving API-first models for rapid scaling and third-party ecosystems in consumer apps.[2]

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Post-acquisition, Sincerely integrated into Provide Commerce (now under larger e-commerce umbrellas), likely evolving toward expanded categories like mobile flower ordering while leveraging its API for broader integrations.[4] Trends like AI-personalized gifting, AR previews, and same-day delivery via on-demand logistics could revitalize its model, especially with $5.7M revenue from a tiny team signaling efficiency.[1] Its influence may grow through backend tech licensing, powering thoughtful commerce in a post-pandemic world craving connection—echoing its founding mission to make the world more thoughtful, one mobile tap at a time.[1][2]