An AI-powered photo processing service founded in Vancouver is being acquired by ImageQuix, a provider of workflow and ecommerce software for the photography industry.
Skylab, established by photographer TJ Rak and machine learning expert Alireza Shafaei, was acquired buy the USA firm for an undisclosed sum.
Rak and Shafaei met at UBC. Their startup, launched in 2018, was admitted into the UBC Hatch program in 2020 to accelerate.
By the end of 2023, Skylab’s platform had processed more than 125 million images, according to the founders.
“When Alireza and I met while he was in the University of British Columbia Computer Science PhD program, I knew that my background in high volume photography and his brilliance in machine learning would lead to great things,” recalls Rak, who serves as chief executive.
“After working in close partnership with TJ, Alireza, and the Skylab team since 2020, we are delighted to officially welcome them to our growing portfolio of industry-leading software solutions for photographers,” stated Alex Kovacevic, CEO of ImageQuix.
The platform from Skylab uses AI to fix visual imperfections in photography, such as whitening teeth or removing glare on glasses lens.
“I’m so proud of the work we’ve done to develop a tool that’s affordable, accessible, and reduces production time by 90%—saving photographers of all skill levels invaluable time,” Rak stated.
“Skylab’s focus on developing innovative technology in an intuitive and user-friendly way is unmatched and will provide immense value to all of our customers moving forward,” Kovacevic believes.
Moving forward, Rak says he is “energized by what we will be able to accomplish together.”
ImageQuix was founded in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 2018.
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