Lightricks, founded in January 2013, is a company that develops video and image editing mobile apps and software, known particularly for its selfie-editing app, Facetune.[1][2][3]
Headquartered in Jerusalem, the firm has approximately 600 employees.[4][5] As of 2023, its apps have been downloaded over 730 million times.[6][7] In 2024, Lightricks introduced LTX Studio, a platform for creating and editing videos using AI.[8]
History
The company was created in 2013 by 5 founders, Ph.D. students Zeev Farbman, Nir Pochter, Yaron Inger, Amit Goldstein, and former Supreme Court of Israel clerk Itai Tsiddon who were all studying at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.[2][9] Lightricks began life as a bootstrapped company, which was the subject of a case study from the Harvard Business School "Bootstrapping at Lightricks".[10]
The company received in 2015 its first funding round of $10 million led by Viola Ventures.[11][12] It received its second round of funding of $60 million in November 2018, led by Insight Venture Partners and with participation from Israeli VC company ClalTech.[9] In July 2019, it secured $135 million in series C funding led by Goldman Sachs, with participation from Insight Partners and ClalTech; this was reported to imply a $1 billion valuation.[13][14][15] It puts the total raised to date at $205 million.[16][17]
Lightricks ended 2018 with over $50 million in revenue.[2]
In September 2021, the company received $100 million in primary and $30 million in secondary Series D funding. This valued the company at $1.8 billion.[18]
Operations
After beginning in the Hebrew University campus, the company outgrew its space a number of times. It remains based in Jerusalem, Israel, with offices in Haifa, London and Chicago; it has a total of approximately 600 employees.[19][4][20]
Once Apple Inc allowed it, Lightricks was one of the first app companies to offer subscriptions. Most of its apps are now published under a freemium model.[21][22][23]
Products
Flagship Products
Facetune, a world renowned selfie editing app, which was named as Apple's most downloaded app in 2017.[24] In 2021 it was ranked as one of Apple's top-5 paid apps for the seventh consecutive year.[25]
Photoleap (formerly known as Photofox and Enlight), a general image editing app, which was preceded by Enlight Photofox.[26] The app allows the user to generate artwork to be shared on social media with a number of different editing options.[27] It was one of the first mobile applications to offer generative AI capabilities and text-to-image.[28]
Popular Pays, an influencer marketing and content creation platform, acquired in 2022.[30]
LTX Studio, an AI powered platform for video generation, pre-production storyboarding and post-production edits.[31][32]
Other Apps
Lightleap (formerly known as Quickshot), a pre-image viewer.[33]
Motionleap (formerly known as Pixaloop), an image animation tool created in 2018 where one can animate otherwise-still elements of a picture in different ways.
Beatleap, an audio-first video editing tool. The app features music by Epidemic Sound.
Artleap (formerly known as QuickArt), a photo editing tool.
Seen, a story making tool.
Boosted (formerly known as BoostApps), a graphic design template tool aimed towards social media marketing.[34]
Facetune Video, a selfie-retouching video tool that allows users to retouch and edit their selfie and portrait videos in real time using a set of A.I.-powered tools.[35] Integrated into Facetune.
Filtertune, a photo filter tool designed to create a community around custom photo filters. With the app, creators can make their own personalized preset photo filters, then share them across social media as photos with a QR code attached.[36]
