Industry News

Video Messaging Company Vidku Changes Name to Flipgrid

• By Richard Chang
• 10/17/16

Vidku, the mobile video messaging company that serves educators and businesses, has renamed itself Flipgrid in recognition of its flagship platform.

Flipgrid, the Minneapolis, MN-based company’s primary platform that’s used in more than 30,000 classrooms and organizations, allows educators to create grids with topics. Students can respond with recorded videos to discuss, reflect and share via webcam, tablet or mobile device, according to Flipgrid’s website.

When Vidku formed in 2015, the company anticipated developing a separate, complementary platform for businesses, while continuing to nurture and grow Flipgrid for educational users. As the company developed new features, two things became clear — educational users wanted the new capabilities, and enterprises were interested in using video to improve corporate learning outcomes.

Recognizing that Flipgrid is and will be the singular platform for the company, Vidku concluded that all its communications should be centered on the Flipgrid brand, including the name of the company itself, according to a news release.

“Over 60 companies plus thousands of educators showed us the value of using one platform for all of our users,” Jim Leslie, CEO and co-founder, said in a statement. “Both educators and business professionals have asked for the same capabilities both now and into the future.”

Over the past year, Flipgrid has seen significant growth, attracting 400 percent more users this fall semester than during the same time in 2015, the company said.

But the company laid off between six and eight people — or 20 percent of its staff — in May, according to news reports.

Each educator pays $65 for a one-year subscription to Flipgrid, according to the website. The number of students and video responses may be unlimited. For more information, visit flipgrid.com.