Lightwell
The business, the turning points, and the decisions behind them.
Some sections are still being researched2 / 4
Sections to complete：02 · 05
01 / WHAT IT BUILT
What the company did
Lightwell was the app creation engine launched in 2017 by interactive storytelling startup Hullabalu (CEO Suzanne Xie). It let designers create interactive storytelling applications without coding: upload digital assets, build custom animations, interactions and dialogue, then compile and ship apps to the App Store. Sold as subscriptions to media companies and creative agencies (with indie-creator plans tested at $99/month), it became one of the most powerful design-to-production tools for mobile development. Hullabalu itself had raised $6.5 million from SV Angel, Vayner RSE, Initialized Capital, Technicolor and others.
02 / FAILURE REASONS
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03 / EVENT HISTORY
Events in the structured record
- Launched
Hullabalu released Lightwell, its app creation engine, targeting media companies and creative agencies building interactive storytelling apps.
- Twitter acqui-hire
On August 20, 2019, Twitter acqui-hired the Lightwell team for an undisclosed amount to work on its conversations initiative; founder Suzanne Xie became Twitter's director of product. The Lightwell toolset was made free and was no longer actively supported or developed.
04 / CONTEMPORARY REBUILD ASSESSMENT
Difficulty of rebuilding this project today
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Overall assessment: Not completed
05 / CAUSAL CHAIN / AFTERMATH
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