Shutterfly acquired the Shark Tank company GrooveBook after its appearance on the show.
GrooveBook was a subscription service that printed selected smartphone photographs into small, bound photo books and mailed them to customers. The service was created by Julie Whiteman and Brian Whiteman, who appeared on Shark Tank to seek investment for the business.
The company’s idea reflected a broader shift in personal photography: people were taking thousands of digital images but often leaving them stored on phones rather than printing them. GrooveBook turned those digital pictures into a physical product delivered regularly.
Shutterfly announced its acquisition of GrooveBook in 2014. The deal is sometimes confused with a Shark Tank investment because the show appearance and later corporate acquisition are separate events. Shutterfly was a major online photo-publishing company that expanded its mobile-photo services through the purchase.