NEW YORK, NY and JERUSALEM, ISRAEL, August 30th - Lightricks the rapidly growing creator platform known for creating advanced mobile photo and video tools Facetune, Videoleap and Photoleap, announced AI-driven Image generator features within Photoleap, Motionleap and Facetune.

“AI technology has proven its powerful capabilities when it comes to content creation. The implementation of the Text to Image feature directly within our apps, opens an entire realm of possibilities for our users, giving them limitless opportunities for incredible content creation,” said Zeev Farbman, CEO and co-founder of Lightricks. “This new tool supports our mission to help users enjoy the magic of creating, and inspire a new generation of content creators.”

Lightricks’ new image generator allows users to create unique AI art and images by providing simple text prompts via powerful open source AI – right from within the app. In Photoleap and Motionleap, the resulting images can then be edited and personalized before sharing on their favorite platform. In Facetune, users can edit the images will all their favorite tools, as well as use them as a backdrop or clothing pattern.

The technology uses transformers to convert the users’ text into numbers, which then go through a process of diffusion - changing those numbers into images. Users only need to download the most recent update of the apps to begin tapping into the power of the feature and reach a new level of personal inspiration.

Facetune is a leading app for selfie photo and video editing and Photoleap offers a full suite of photo editing capabilities, from layering and cut-out tools, to filters and quick art. Motionleap is best known for its animation feature, giving users the ability to create the perception of motion in still photos.

NEW YORK, NY, JERUSALEM, ISRAEL, and CHICAGO, IL, March 23, 2022 - Lightricks, a growing platform for content creators and developers of the world's leading photo and video editing tools such as Videoleap, Facetune2, Facetune Video, and Photoleap, announced today the acquisition of Popular Pays, the industry-leading Chicago-based software company that connects brands with creators to enable an agile approach to advertising for brands, and powerful monetization opportunities for creators.

This announcement is a first step in Lightricks’ strategy to become a single resource for creators and brands alike, bringing together advanced tools and monetization opportunities for creators and providing brands access to the largest community of content creators across the globe, large and small. The combination of Lightricks’ creator suite and Popular Pays’ robust tools for connecting, collaborating, and tracking partnerships between brands and creators will set the standard for the next generation of the creator economy.

Popular Pays enables a more agile approach to advertising. Brands and agencies use their network of creators to produce content for any channel, leverage their software to streamline and scale their work and tap their customer service professionals to guide their brand's strategy. Popular Pays allows brands to be faster, more flexible, and efficiently deliver on their campaign goals by activating influencers for brand awareness, leveraging creator content to populate owned or paid channels, or using creators to test and learn on new platforms.

"This is an exciting moment for us, and an important step toward building a streamlined, one-stop platform that supports creators in all stages of their journey to create and monetize their content,” says Zeev Farbman, Co-Founder, and CEO of Lightricks. “This acquisition is an important step for us, and will help change the game for creators. They will reach new levels of success and connect easily with brands through the combination of Popular Pays’ exceptional platform and team with the strength of Lightricks’ creative tools and understanding of the creator community."

Fresh from a $130 million Series D round, a new partnership with the D’Amelio family, and the launch of LinkInBio, Lightricks is the leading platform to enable creators of all skill levels to bring their creative vision to audiences of all sizes. Lightricks is helping creators monetize their content while creatively engaging with fans. With the Popular Pays acquisition, Lightricks brings tens of millions of creators a direct connection from within its portfolio of apps to world-class brands. Similarly, Lightricks will offer brands access to a wide pool of creators who can provide top-tier, user-friendly content that corresponds with a brand's values.

Popular Pays, whose leadership’s strong background in marketing, is a natural fit within Lightricks. Popular Pays truly understands how brands need to adapt their strategies and processes to remain competitive in today’s advertising landscape. Their solutions empower brands and will complement Lightricks’ industry-leading suite of tools available to creators. Popular Pays saw significant success and growth in 2021, expanding to more than 130 active clients representing approximately 340 brands.

“We couldn't be more thrilled to be joining forces with Lightricks," says Corbett Drummey, Co-Founder, and CEO at Popular Pays. "Our vision is to lead an agile transformation in advertising, and we believe that creators will power that evolution. Together, we will have the largest opt-in creator community of any competitive offering. Our products, teams, and strengths are extremely complementary, and the resources and scale that Lightricks brings to the table will enable new and bold strategies that I believe will change our industry. We are excited to get to work on them together.”

NEW YORK, NY, and JERUSALEM, ISRAEL (September 29, 2021) — Lightricks, creator of the world's leading photo and video editing apps including Facetune2, Facetune Video, and Videoleap, today announced $130M in Series D funding. The round is comprised of $100M in primary and $30M in secondary funding which brings Lightricks’ total funding to-date to $335M and the company’s latest valuation to $1.8 billion. The round was co-led by New York-based global private equity and venture capital firm Insight Partners and Hanaco Venture Capital, with participation from existing investors Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Clal Tech, Harel Insurance and Finance and Greycroft, and new investors Migdal Insurance, Altshuler Shaham and Shavit Capital. Lightricks raised this strategic Series D to power the expansion of its suite of tools and offer more features and services for creators, further cementing its position as a leading player in the booming creator economy.

In just over eight years since its founding, Lightricks has grown to develop dozens of creativity apps for users in every country of the world, spanning from beginners to professional artists and creators. On the heels of this current funding round and explosion of the creator economy, Lightricks will aim to expand the company by initiating strategic mergers and acquisitions and creating new platforms and tools specifically geared towards professional creators. Lightricks plans to add to its already expansive offering with the goal to become a one-stop shop for resources including creative tools, services and monetization opportunities.

“Our mission has always been to continuously strive to bring creators the most advanced technology and help them find new ways to express themselves,” said Zeev Farbman, co-founder and CEO of Lightricks. “The rise of the creator economy has only exacerbated the need of mobile users to streamline the content creation and monetization processes. With this latest funding, we’re able to help elevate our users' creativity and capabilities with continued advancements to our technology and offering.”

Lightricks’ apps have seen tremendous growth during the past year, with millions of people turning to the creativity tools to express themselves and earn income during the pandemic. During the peak of the pandemic lockdown, Lightricks saw a 90 percent increase in app usage across its creativity tools in the U.S. The number of downloads for Videoleap—its most popular video editing app for professional creators—increased 70 percent since the start of the pandemic. A survey found that nearly half of Videoleap users are exporting their creations to TikTok in pursuit of monetized content. Lightricks users create over a billion creations per year on the creativity apps, and the company continues to innovate and improve upon its tools to better serve creators in the creator economy, having launched four completely new apps within the last year.  

“We’re delighted to continue to team with Lightricks to help further professionalize the world of content creation,” said Thilo Semmelbauer, Managing Director at Insight Partners. “We look forward to Lightricks building the future of this industry by continuing to supply creators with the highest-quality, most-preferred tools and technology. Lightricks allows people to showcase their individuality and brand on social media, whether for personal self-expression or for monetization.”“The creator economy has changed the way we, as a society, experience social networks. Audiences constantly consume information through the different content channels daily. Lightricks’ platform enables creators to have a broader, more professional and higher-quality set of tools to optimize content,” said Pasha Romanovski, Co-Founding Partner of Hanaco Ventures. "At a time when we are seeing content creators monetize content on social media at new levels, it is clear that Lightricks' platform has the ability to create a one stop shop that will be meaningful to its users.”