Which startup was founded by Ben Silbermann?

Pinterest was founded by Ben Silbermann.

Silbermann was a co-founder rather than the company’s only founder: Paul Sciarra and Evan Sharp are also credited with creating Pinterest. The service grew from Tote, an earlier mobile shopping application Silbermann and Sciarra developed as a virtual alternative to paper catalogs.

Tote struggled with mobile-commerce limitations, but users began collecting images of products and ideas inside the app. Silbermann recognized that this collecting behavior could become the basis for a visual bookmarking service. Pinterest development began in December 2009, and a closed beta launched in March 2010.

The platform lets users save images, links, recipes, designs, and other discoveries to themed boards. Its name combines “pin” with “interest,” reflecting the idea of arranging interests on digital pinboards. Pinterest later expanded beyond invitations, added business accounts in 2012, and held its initial public offering in April 2019.

Instagram, Snapchat, and Tumblr are common mix-ups because they are also image-centered or social platforms. Their founders are different; Ben Silbermann is specifically associated with Pinterest.