Skylight, a short-form video app built on the AT Protocol, has finally launched after just 10 weeks of development. The platform, backed by Mark Cuban and Leslie Feinzaig’s Graham & Walker Venture Fund, integrates with the same decentralized network that powers Bluesky, which has amassed over 33 million users.

Co-founders Tori White, CEO and former travel influencer, and Reed Harmeyer, CTO, developed Skylight as a response to a potential TikTok ban in the U.S. The app offers standard video-sharing features, including an in-app editor, commenting, liking, and profile customization.

“The first thing that interested us about ATProto was that Bluesky was not failing,” Harmeyer told TechCrunch at the ATmosphere Conference in Seattle last month. “We didn’t see the ‘fail whale.’ That made us feel comfortable about the underlying technology.”

Image source: Skylight Social

Interoperability for Immediate Distribution

According to TechCrunch, Skylight benefits from AT Protocol’s interoperability, allowing content created on the platform to appear across the growing “ATmosphere” ecosystem, which includes Bluesky and photo-centric app Flashes. The protocol currently supports over 1,000 personal data servers outside its main network.

White leveraged her influencer background to document Skylight’s development on TikTok, building an audience of nearly 50,000 followers on her @buildwithtori profile, many becoming early testers.

“We started with distribution,” White stated. “We were building this thing that we think is so cool, but no one cares yet. So we have to build a way to tell people about it.”

Growth Within the AT Protocol Ecosystem

The AT Protocol ecosystem has been expanding lately, with Bluesky securing $15 million in Series A funding led by Blockchain Capital last October. The network has spawned specialized applications, including Smoke Signal for events, Frontpage for web forums, and Bluecast for audio content.

Skylight currently supports video uploads up to three minutes, similar to Bluesky’s recent expansion. TechCrunch notes that future development plans include customizable feeds with new gesture controls beyond swiping and scrolling and features like sounds, duets, stitching, bookmarks, and playlists.

After beta testing, the app completed its public launch on Apple’s App Store and remains available on the Google Play Store.