Currently, Collecta.com is just a placeholder and mailing-list signup form field. The site shows a constantly refreshing mosaic of images gathered in real time from TwitPic and Flickr -- an homage to the company's roots.
With the majority of a carefully spent $4.7 million Series B still sitting in the bank, the startup has plenty of runway to work with; a large part of the company's talent is staying onboard, as well. (One of the co-founders, Jack Moffitt, will be engaged in other pursuits, which gives us a grand total of two entities to watch closely following this announcement.)
Campbell said running a real-time search engine, while it is not to become the company's end goal, was an educational experience for the team. In a conversation today, he noted that the company learned three main lessons from its two-and-a-half-year stint as a real-time search engine.
"First, there is a huge need for real-time information," he said. "Second, a destination site is not the correct vehicle for reaching people. Third, new behaviors, specifically with Facebook and mobile, are growing.
"Beyond that, we're in a new market since 2009." Campbell's right about that much; in 2009, real-time technology was almost a means and an end in itself. Today, real-time technology is only one component for an ever-growing range of applications.
Whatever comes next, though, will likely have strong ties to Collecta's excellent real-time technology. "This company's DNA is definitely real-time," Campbell concluded.
While we're surprised at this pivot, we're glad it comes at a financially convenient time for this startup, and we can't wait to find out what's going on in that metaphorical woodshed of theirs.