Transforming the World of Photography: Meero & the 24-Hour Photo People
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Many creative professionals worldwide have chosen freelance work as their lifestyle. In recent years, the photography industry has seen a rapid increase of workers using digital platforms, most of whom are freelancers. Today, freelance photographers are offered a variety of online platforms to use in order to search for work. Meero is one them.
French startup Meero is revolutionizing the world of photography by providing photographers with a space, and opportunities, to pursue their passion. The platform matches professional photographers and videographers with corporate clients in need of high-quality visual content.
Making the Internet More Beautiful…and Accessible
The demand for photo and video content continues to increase, and more and more freelance photographers and videographers are emerging to meet the market needs. However, the processes, prices, technology and the means of carrying out a photoshoot haven’t changed much, and that’s what Meero aims to disrupt. Meero’s platform allows clients to organize photo and video shoots around the world in just three clicks. Thanks to the company’s unique artificial intelligence-driven editing process, clients can automatically receive edited content within 24-48 hours.
Co-founded by Thomas Rebaud in 2016 and driven by a desire to make the internet more beautiful, 28-year old Rebaud wanted to offer professional photo and video solutions that would work in today’s digital age and on-demand culture. Three years and $300 million worth of funding later — including the firm’s latest, a $230 million round pushing it into unicorn status — the startup now employs more than 600 people and has offices in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Bangalore, Sydney and Shanghai.
AI-Powered Innovation
Staying on the cutting edge of tech innovation is important to Meero. The company’s AI algorithms deliver fast photo and video editing, minimizing the need for human editing. The company’s previous $45M funding was put towards the creation of the largest artificial intelligence center dedicated to image processing in Europe and opening new offices in the United States and Asia.
They are also in the process of developing advanced technologies around content enrichment, with strong investments in editing and data extraction. Unlike simple filters that apply a predefined set of variables, Meero’s algorithms are able to retouch each processed image through a deep pixel by pixel understanding in just a few seconds. They automate multi-exposure fusion, image alignment, perspective correction, scene classification and object detection, providing a professional, polished result in a fraction of the time it would take using manual editing.
The company aims to equip the whole photographers’ community with the right tools to foster growth — and it’s well on its way.
Accelerating Growth
More than 60,000 photographers are on the Meero platform today. The company started with clients in a few key industries, including food and real estate in the United States, France and Asia — but is currently expanding to new verticals including retail and the corporate sector.
Through its partnership with Payoneer, Meero plans to continue to grow its cross-border network across China, India, Japan, the United States and beyond.
Getting paid for freelance work doesn’t have to be costly or take too much time. Payoneer makes it easier to focus less on how to get paid and more on how to expand your business.
Are you a freelance photographer looking for a smart and easy way to get paid?