LoTime

LoTime is redefining how Gen Z captures memories by combining hardware and software to recreate the emotional nostalgia of film photography without the inconvenience. I designed the first ever film-styled lens made specifically for the iPhone, pairing it with a proprietary app that limits daily photos and introduces a “developing” delay. Our mission is to slow down time in an overstimulated digital world and build a new category of mindful photography. The film photography market has grown rapidly and is now worth an estimated billion-plus dollars, and projected to keep expanding. LoTime is film photography, reimagined for today.

As a student athlete and founder at USC, I experienced firsthand how fast life moves. Between games, classes, internships, and building a company. I found myself constantly documenting moments, yet rarely feeling fully present in them. That tension led me to build LoTime. I designed and developed the first-ever film-styled lens made specifically for the iPhone by pioneering a new category that merges tactile hardware with behavioral design. Paired with our companion app, LoTime limits users to a set number of photos per day and introduces a 60-second “developing” delay before viewing each image. Unlike disposable cameras, (which are expensive, unsustainable, and inconvenient, or digital filters, which are instantly consumed and forgotten), LoTime bridges hardware and software to recreate the emotional cadence of film in a modern format. We are not replicating nostalgia for aesthetics alone, we are engineering anticipation, scarcity, and presence back into photography. The creator economy in the United States continues to expand rapidly, yet alongside it grows digital fatigue. My generation is increasingly drawn to slower living, authenticity, and tangible experiences. Trends reflected in the resurgence of vinyl records, film cameras, and printed media. LoTime taps directly into this cultural shift while maintaining the accessibility and scale of smartphone technology. EX: 2016 is the new 2026 viral trend As America approaches its 250th anniversary, the next era of innovation has to prioritize human centered design. Technology should enhance memory, not dilute it. With support from America’s Startup, we will finalize prototyping, expand domestic manufacturing partnerships, and launch campus pilot programs nationwide… building a product that reflects both American creativity and entrepreneurial resilience. We didn’t revive film photography. We evolved it, for the next generation of Americans.