CloudApp was initially launched in 2010 as a project by Max Schoening (former lead designer at
Heroku). Originally, it enabled knowledge workers to instantly share screenshots and file assets as short links that didn't require a download to view. The project then moved towards
visual collaboration to allow sharing screenshots, gifs, annotations, and screen recordings. The first iteration included a downloadable
Mac application and accompanying free service. CloudApp was later acquired by Aluminum.io and Xenon Ventures in January 2014, where Tyler Koblasa became General Manager and CEO. In June 2016, Koblasa secured US$2 million in a funding round led by
Tikhon Bernstam, founder of
Scribd and
Parse, and Kyle York (CSO
Dyn), which enabled him to acquire the intellectual property from Aluminum.io, invest in the platform and add founding team member Scott Smith to help scale the business. In July 2016, CloudApp acquired the intellectual property for app
Annotate, a popular Mac and iOS annotation app, from
David Cancel and Elias Torres, of Boston-based Drift. In October 2019 it added collections and favorites to its platforms to allow teams and enterprises to share collections of videos, screenshots, and GIFs created with CloudApp. In January 2020 it launched a new app to cover iPhones and iPads. In March 2020, it launched ‘Instant Video’, a new video streaming service, that uploads videos while the user captures them to make sharing instantaneous. CloudApp has been listed five quarters in a row on
G2's top consumer reviewed products lists. in April 2023, CEO Scott Smith announced the rebranding from CloudApp to Zight. ==Features==