Lucas Allen Buick, 29, is a graphic designer turned entrepreneur. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point, Lucas spent time after college working as an editorial art director at various publications, but quickly realized he wanted to bring his own artistic vision to the world. In 2006, he founded Synthetic Corp. with his best friend, Ryan Dorshorst, which focused mostly on design, brand and web consulting.

In 2009, Synthetic Corp.'s focus shifted to mobile software. That pivot, coupled with Lucas' passion for shooting on his Polaroid SX-70, resulted in the birth of Hipstamatic on the whiteboards of Synthetic's 400 square foot Minnesota office. Soon thereafter, Lucas headed west to open Synthetic's headquarters in a city at the intersection of art, design and technology: San Francisco, CA.

Today, Lucas continues to dedicate his work to helping people beautifully capture their lives, and is committed to making Synthetic a driving force for creativity across a multitude of platforms, based on his belief that art and visual storytelling can change the world.

Ryan was born and raised in the corn fields and cranberry bogs of Wisconsin. After graduating from Stevens Point with a BFA in Graphic Design he moved to Minneapolis where he ran a design and branding shop out of the side of a snowbank with Lucas for several years (although Lucas worked remotely from a different snowbank in Chicago). After launching Hipstamatic he decided it was time to move to a warmer locale and began a journey west that ended in San Francisco. In his spare time he enjoys building Legos and playing N64. He also cooks a pretty mean lasagna.

Doug Lambert has extensive experience in organizational design, operations, technology management and human resources across a variety of industries. Before joining Synthetic, LLC., he served as an executive for Errand Solutions, LLC. where he managed human resources, technology and organizational development. Prior to that position, he served as a Vice President of Global Staffing and Development for The Northern Trust Company and helped design and implement strategic initiatives for major lines of business. Prior to that position, he served as a Human Resources Officer for JPMorgan Chase after selling Excelsia Group, Inc., a midsized executive search and technology consulting company, he previously co-founded. Mr. Lambert earned a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Ball State University and a Master’s degree in Organizational Communication from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois.

Aravind Kaimal was born in 1980 in the south of India, where, at the tender age of 17, he embarked on a bold new journey to the United States. He obtained his BFA at Columbia College Chicago, and soon started his love/hate relationship with design while working at various publication and ad agencies. His artwork is cognitively influenced by the chaos and simplicity of the two cultures he grew up in. As the Creative Director of Synthetic, Aravind likes to get shot out of a rifle barrel into new and exciting projects with throbbing frequency. He's always moving forward with the Synthetic philosophy of not remaining too comfortable in one spot.

Hailing from Wilton, Connecticut, Josh Symonds graduated from the University of Chicago in 2005 with a BA in Japanese that he never uses anymore. Instead, for the past four years, he's been honing his coding bushido, and now writes really excellent Ruby and Objective-C. He's responsible for the web presence of Synthetic and for a couple of the more awesome features in Hipstamatic, Incredibooth, and Swankolab. Josh lives in Chicago and, when he's not working, plays lots of computer games.

Lover of today. Designer of life.
Mario Estrada studied at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point where he double majored in Graphic Design/Spanish and minored in Photography/Art History. He worked for years as a Designer and Art Director before joining Synthetic to handle their active community. Essentially, Mario went from showing people to telling people and he likes it.

Laura was home grown next to a cornfield in Wisconsin, and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in graphic design. After a few life detours she found herself in San Francisco with these guys. She believes in happy accidents, traveling, sharing meals, fresh air, and getting her hands dirty. She hopes to one day own her own hot air balloon.

As the only native California boy Stuart frolicked on the beautiful coastlines of Pismo Beach in his youth until his parents forced him into the cold world to fend for himself, alone... but never fearL Stuart quickly found his way in life graduating from Brooks Institute of Photography with a BFA in digital imaging. But being the young dynamo he is one degree was not enough, no sir, he continued on to the Academy of Art in San Francisco to obtain a MFA in interactive design/new media. With his masters mere months away from completion Stuart joined Synthetic as a UI/UX designer where he designs all kinds of nifty things like apps and other paraphernalia. When not designing Stuart only does one thing and only one thing, he massacres fools left and right in the game of titans.. UNO!

All sunshine and sass, Molli spends the better part of her days and nights spreading the good word about Synthetic. Before bringing her PR super powers to the company, she spent several years at major PR agencies working on mobile and music industry clients. In March 2010, however, a chance email to Lucas Buick set in motion an alignment of stars that would eventually bring her the gig of a lifetime.

Molli lives for a good story, dance class and live music. Originally from Nevada, Molli's roots (and heart) are now firmly planted in San Francisco. She's obsessed with Patti Smith's "Just Kids" and anyone who can insert references of said book into conversations will be a friend for life. Or, at least, get a hug.

Katie Carroll grew up in Carmel, a tiny California town known primarily for cottages, fancy golf courses, and Clint Eastwood (who used to be its mayor). She then traded the boonies for Berkeley, double majoring in Rhetoric and Political Science, before crossing the bay to San Francisco. She can be spotted around the city in cafes or concert venues -- snapping Hipstamatic photos, blogging about music, and/or obsessively tweeting.