Op-Ed: Dro.pt poised to transform fashion lookbooks and fashion blogging

Following their recent appearance at AngelPad’s Spring 2012 Demo Day on May 8th, San Francisco’s Dro.pt appears ready to take the photo sharing world by storm.

Founded by Brent Locks, Gregory Nicholas, and Kele Dobrinksi, Dro.pt plans to enable brands and retailers to make their images shoppable regardless of where their images end up on the web. With image curation happening on a global scale (can you say Pinterest?), tracking the original image to the source can be a challenge. With Dro.pt’s technology, brands are able to embed trackable watermarks into their images thus allowing for ongoing e-commerce management and social sharing. Whether it is a blogger in Des Moines re-blogging a brand’s image on her fashion blog or a savvy marketer curating a collection on Polyvore, brands will be able to capitalize on their shoppable images regardless of where their content ends up being utilized. From a fashion brand previewing their upcoming collection in a lookbook to images utilized for magazine layouts, Dro.pt users will be able to make the most of the content they have created and track its usage through Dro.pt’s analytics technology. With advisers the likes of AngelPad’s own Thomas Korte on their side, Dro.pt is poised to make their mark in the fashion image niche. While initially focusing on fashion, Dro.pt’s technology is easily transferable to just about any market. From the bedding in a home decorating magazine spread to the pots and pans in a gourmet cooking photo shoot, trackable watermarked brand images allow retailers to profit from their imagery on an ongoing basis. Both end users and retailers will be able to "want" or "buy" Dro.pt items from a brand's portfolio. If a specific item is not yet available, Dro.pt users will be able to "follow" an item and be advised upon availability. Coming in at number 4 on Forbes’ list of Top Accelerators and Incubators, AngelPad is no stranger to successful startups. With the talents of 7 ex-Google employees behind them, AngelPad had played an important role in the success of startups like MoPub and Adku (acquired by Groupon) to name just a couple. Currently accepting invite requests for their private beta testing, Dro.pt has fashion brands waiting with baited breath for their full launch. Definitely one to watch, Dro.pt could significantly impact upon not only the way fashion lookbooks are utilized but also on the fashion blogging niche as a whole. Stay tuned to see what this AngelPad Spring 2012 attendee has up their watermarked sleeve.