Insta360 conquered 360 cameras — now it’s eyeing glasses

It’s right there in the name: “Insta360” makes 360-degree cameras, ones that film every angle simultaneously so you can shoot first and frame later. It didn’t invent the idea, but Insta360 has become so synonymous with 360 cameras that it dominates the category with 73 percent of worldwide marketshare. It’s preparing to ship so many cameras, it just spent $298 million — more than GoPro’s entire valuation — on memory chips alone.

But as Insta360 sells its 10 millionth camera and opens its first flagship US store in New York City’s Times Square, it’s thinking bigger than two hemispherical lenses on a stick. It’s looking to challenge Canon, Sony, Nikon, and Fujifilm by becoming a “top imaging camera company” or “even a tech company,” cofounder Max Richter tells me — and it’s experimentally building its own mirrorless cameras and smart glasses to get there.