TCU senior is revolutionizing the photo-sharing industry

By Laney Barrymore, Staff Writer

Published Nov 8, 2024

Maverick Cavanaugh, his dad and his sister. Photo courtesy of Maverick Cavanaugh

A TCU student is transforming the photo-sharing industry with pIcD, an app that utilizes facial recognition technology to securely share images with friends.

Maverick Cavanaugh, a senior finance and accounting double major, has been working alongside his father, Mark, and also supported by his sister, Trinity, a TCU graduate and former student-athlete and his mother, Tara.

The app launched on Aug. 24, aiming to target college-aged students.

When you and a friend follow each other, any photos taken on either of your phones and uploaded to pIcD will be automatically shared with the other person in the image. It works through facial recognition, eliminating the need for email, text or AirDrop.

Maverick often struggled to locate photos of himself from events and couldn’t recall who had taken them, making it difficult to track them down.

“I thought it would be neat to have an app that shared photos securely with followers based on facial recognition so people wouldn’t have to remember to send all of the photos,” he said.

Maverick Cavanaugh and his dad, Mark Cavanaugh, working on the app together. (Photo courtesy of Maverick Cavanaugh)

Since the launch, pIcD’s focus has been on marketing and growing the user base. They were invited to present at several sorority chapters on campus at the beginning of the fall semester, helping to spread the word among college students.

“pIcD is one of the coolest apps I’ve ever used,” Connor Boyle, a senior economics major, said. “I wake up, and all the photos taken of me by my friends are already in the app and easy to download without having to reach out to anyone.”

pIcD plans to develop and launch a corporate account for photos taken by photographers at professional and college sports events. This account will let users follow an organization and receive all the photos its professional photographers capture of them.

“For example, you would simply have to follow TCU football on pIcD, and any photo they take of the crowd during the game where you appear in the background, you’ll receive it,” Maverick said.

pIcD seeks to grow its user base and become a dominant force in the photo-sharing industry, allowing people to capture and share even more moments and memories with their friends.

“I’ll never forget what Chancellor Boschini said to me when I first told him about my company, pIcD,” said Maverick, who has known Chancellor Boschini since his first year at TCU. “He said, ‘Harvard has Mark Zuckerberg; TCU will have Maverick Cavanaugh.’ It was so inspiring to see that the chancellor believed in my idea and wanted to help me in any way he could.”

Trinity said that TCU has taught her how to build relationships with potential clients and investors, as well as having a drive to reach success. This inspired pIcD to involve the student body in their journey to develop the app, as TCU has provided them with valuable experiences.

“I am nowhere near the brains behind this operation, but I am fortunate enough to have Maverick include me in the development and creation of pIcD,” she said.

One of Trinity’s key milestones since launching has included being alongside her brother and watching him grow as an entrepreneur, businessman and overall person.

Maverick said launching the app and seeing it in the App Store was one of the coolest experiences of his life.

“I can’t wait to see more people using the app,” Ava Chambers, a second-year fashion merchandising major, said. “It is so beneficial in many ways and makes our lives easier when capturing and keeping memories.”