Former Apple and Google Employee Camille Hearst Raises $2.5 Million to Grow Her Social Network.

Camille Hearst

In a world that’s jampacked with new apps and social networking sites, Camille Hearst stands out. Hearst recently raised $2.5 million to grow her product-centered social networking app, Kit. She’s now the 12th African American woman in her industry’s history to raise over $1 million dollars for a particular business or venture.

Hearst publicly launched Kit in November of 2015, after joining the startup studio Expa earlier that same year. The social network was created from a concept and design that she developed alongside FourSquare co-founder and current Expa partner Naveen Selvadurai.

Prior to working with Expa, Hearst, a Stanford engineering grad, had successful runs at both Google and Apple iTunes. She joined Apple in 2005, just as Steve Jobs was preparing to launch the wildly popular iPod. Hearst served as one of the first product managers at iTunes.

Her current venture, Kit, is a social networking app where tastemakers share personally curated product sets, or “Kits.”