The first device, outside of the smartphone, to monetize our collective obsession with selfies was most likely the selfie stick.
Now, on the heels of that modern marvel comes the MOON Selfie – a tiny light that selfie-takers can attach to their smartphones to improve the overall quality of their shots, especially when taken at nighttime. After all, perfect selfies don’t require just the right angle, but also the right light.
MOON Selfie is an idea of Ed Madongorere, a Boston-based former cinematographer, and his co-founder Dixen Yang. In an interview with BostInno, Madongorere said that the inspiration for a cherry-size selfie light came after having dinner with his wife Jamese at a “Fogo de Chao” restaurant in 2014.
"We never really posted all the pictures, because we never liked all the pictures we took."
“Every time we’d go out to a restaurant, it became sort of our thing to take a selfie before dinner,” Madongorere said. “We would do this all the time… but we never really posted all the pictures, because we never liked all the pictures we took.”
During that particular night at the Brazilian steakhouse, Jamese became frustrated because her pictures kept coming out poorly. But Madongorere had an idea: he placed his phone and her phone back to back, turned on the light on Jamese’s phone and took a photo. This time, Madongorere’s wife was pleased with the results. By the end of the night, a couple next to their table started using the same trick to take better selfies and work around the unfavorable light in the restaurant.
“I thought it was an opportunity here to make a product that people may need,” Madongorere said.
After doing some quick prototyping and online research that night, Madongorere got in touch with Yang at Boston-based high school accelerator Leangap, where Yang was enrolled and Madongorere had to film a commercial. The two launched the company in January 2017.
According to Madongorere, the MOON Selfie light is removable and it’s the size of a “small cherry.” Brightness can be increased just by touching it with your fingers, as is the ability to add warm and cold tones. If users leave the light on at its max brightness, it will last an hour and a half before the battery dies. The battery can be charged with a micro USB cable.
Recently, Madongorere and Yang launched a $40,000 Kickstarter campaign to start manufacturing the product, which is not yet available to customers. “We should be able to deliver by the holidays this year to our early buyers,” Madongorere said. “But next year, early first quarter, is when people can start buying it off the website.”
