Biometric photos company
PhotoAid
PhotoAid HQ in the Bialystok Science and Technology Park
Formerly FunFotos Company type
Joint-stock company Industry Founded October 2, 2012; 11 years ago (2012-10-02 ) Founder Marcin Młodzki Rafał Młodzki Tomasz Młodzki Headquarters Bialystok Science and Technology Park, , Area served
Worldwide Products Brands PhotoAid Passport Photo Online Services Revenue €6,5M
[1] (2022) €3.1M
[2] (2021) Number of employees
130
[3] (2022) Website
photoaid.com
PhotoAid is a Polish
software development company based in
Białystok , Poland, founded in 2012. It develops
applications that
take and process
biometric
photographs ,
[4] and manufactures
photo booths .
[5] In 2022, the company provided services in over 80 countries.
[6]
PhotoAid was twice included in on the "
FT 1000 ," the
Financial Times ' list of fastest-growing companies in Europe, in 2023,
[2]
[7] and 2024.
[1]
Brothers Marcin (b. 1984), Rafał (b. 1982), and Tomasz (b. 1986) Młodzki,
[3] students of
law ,
computer science , and
philosophy , respectively, were running an
educational website for
learning foreign languages Fiszkoteka.
[8]
[9] In 2012, they founded FunFotos, to manufacture photo booths and manage a network of the devices. First FunFotos booths that Młodzkis built in the family
garage ,
[10] had
proprietary software and were used only for taking
souvenir
photos .
[11]
In 2015, when the Młodzkis had around 70 photo booths in
shopping malls ,
amusement parks , and
cinema multiplexes across Poland, a
venture capital
fund Inovo Venture Partners invested
PLN 1.3 million in the company.
[12]
[13]
In 2016, FunFotos started to build a network of photo booths that enabled taking biometric photos adapted to official
identity documents :
biometric passports , ID cards,
driver's licenses ,
registration cards ,
travel visas , as well as the
Karta Polaka (Pole's Card), and other
residence permits . The company placed its photo booths in
local government offices and
passport offices.
[5] In 2017, it launched the first stationary photo point under the brand FotoExpress.
[14]
In 2018, the company had 130 photo booths for taking biometric
passport photos .
[15] In 2019, the network had over 180 devices across Poland,
[16] and a local printing point in
Boston .
[6] FunFotos had PLN 4 million in
revenues and PLN 600,000 in
net income .
[11] At the time, the work began on a
web service adapted to
edit photos taken with
smartphones for the use in documents.
[11]
[17] In late 2019, a
demo version of the
Android
app was released.
[4]
[18]
In 2020, FunFotos employed 18 people.
[11] In February 2020, the Młodzkis bought back Inovo's
shares of the company.
[9] In March 2020, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic ,
[6] they decided to focus on developing a photo
software-as-a-service based on a mobile app,
[6] while
hibernating the photo booth business for the
duration of the pandemic .
[19] In cooperation with the Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Mechanics of the
University of Warsaw , the company developed a set of
algorithms allowing
recognition of specific features in photographs of people, followed by the automatic
verification and
correction .
[20]
[21] As a result, the company has transformed from an
analog to digital business operating
online
around the world .
[6]
In August 2020, FunFotos launched two mobile applications PhotoAid and Passport Photo Online, allowing users to take photos for official documents with a
mobile phone camera .
[22] The software for creating photos for ID cards was co-financed by the
Polish Agency for Enterprise Development .
In 2021, the company changed its name to PhotoAid, and it registered its
trademark at the
European Union Intellectual Property Office .
[23] The app was used in 90 countries.
[9] In September 2021, the company received PLN 2 million in another
round of
investment financing .
[4] It was then transformed into a
joint-stock company . In 2022, it had over 130 people on board.
[3]
In a
selfie uploaded to the PhotoAid mobile app, the
artificial-intelligence algorithms
detect a face ,
crop the image , and turn the background into a
solid white , transforming the file into a passport photo – adjusting the size and lighting, in accordance with
regulatory requirements in over 13 countries.
[24]
[25] Immediately after uploading the photo, the AI is able to verify and mark it correct or incorrect. The app converts a photo in three seconds.
[26] Images
processed and scaled to passport and visa photos go through a double-match test: by the
software itself, and by an expert.
[25]
[27]
In 2022, the app was used by over 11.5 million users, for over 10,000 types of documents in over 150 countries.
[28]
In June 2021, under the
honorary patronage of the
Ministry of Development, Labor and Technology , PhotoAid carried out a campaign “Kreuj obraz zawodowy” (Create Your Professional Image ), enabling free use of the professional photo creator for
CVs on its platforms.
[29] Throughout 2021, PhotoAid carried out
social campaigns towards commune offices,
[30]
[31] seniors,
[32] and
primary school students,
[33] taking ID photos as part of the state
digital-document app mObywatel.
[34]
In October 2022, in cooperation with
provincial governments , the company took 120,000 biometric photos for
refugees from Ukraine , as part of the campaign
PESEL for
Ukraine .
[3]
PhotoAid was included in the Financial Times ' and
Statista 's "FT 1000" ranking, among the fastest-growing companies in Europe for 2023,
[2]
[7] and 2024.
[1]
^
a
b
c Kilby, Nathalie (2024-03-01).
"FT 1000: the eighth annual ranking of Europe's fastest-growing companies" . Financial Times . Retrieved 2024-03-13 .
^
a
b
c Kilby, Nathalie (2023-03-01).
"FT 1000: the seventh annual ranking of Europe's fastest-growing companies" .
Financial Times . Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^
a
b
c
d Dzierżanowski, Marcin (2022-10-12).
"Bracia Planeta. Historia o tym, jak Polacy stworzyli globalny biznes w branży fotografii" [Planet Brothers. A Story About How the Poles Created a Global Business in the Photo Industry]. My Company Polska (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^
a
b
c Kaczyńska, Dorota (2021-01-18).
"Pandemia dobiła rynek fotobudek, ale biznes walczy o przetrwanie" [Pandemic Has Killed Off the Photo Booth Market, But the Business Is Fighting for Survival].
Forbes (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^
a
b Redakcja (2019-01-23).
"Fotobudki w urzędach. Wygodne rozwiązanie i prosty pomysł polskiej firmy" [Photo Booths in Offices. A Convenient Solution and a Simple Idea of a Polish Company]. Warszawa Nasze Miasto (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^
a
b
c
d
e Koprowska, Joanna; Młodzki, Tomasz (2020-07-10).
"Podczas lockdownu podbili 30 nowych rynków i otworzyli punkt w Bostonie. Jak to możliwe?" [During the Lockdown, They Conquered 30 New Markets and Opened a Point in Boston. How Is This Possible?].
MIT Sloan Management Review (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^
a
b Żmijewska, Monika (2023-03-07).
"Białostocka firma Inspeerity w pierwszej setce najbardziej obiecujących firm w Europie. W rankingu Financial Times jest też PhotoAiD" [Bialystok Company Inspeerity is Among the Top 100 Most Promising Companies in Europe. PhotoAiD Is Also in the Financial Times Ranking].
Gazeta Wyborcza (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^ Chrobot, Michał (2013-03-12).
"Polski startup na targach CeBIT 2013. Wywiad z serwisem Fiszkoteka.pl" [Polish Startup at CeBIT 2013. Interview with Fiszkoteka.pl]. komputerswiat.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^
a
b
c Miączyński, Piotr (2021-07-10).
"Co to znaczy słabo wstrzelić się w termin. Wykupili od funduszu firmę działającą w centrach handlowych" [What to Hit the Deadline Poorly Means. They Bought a Company Operating in Shopping Centers from a Fund].
Gazeta Wyborcza . Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^ Zięba, Sabina (2022-04-12).
"Polska aplikacja do robienia zdjęć do dokumentów, z której korzysta cały świat. "Mamy klientów w ponad 80 krajach" " [Polish App for Taking Photos for Documents, Which Is Used All Over the World. "We Have Customers in Over 80 Countries"]. Dzień Dobry TVN (in Polish).
TVN . Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^
a
b
c
d Lemańska, Magdalena (2020-06-25).
"FunFotos. Od śmiesznych fotobudek do inteligentnej fotografii" [FunFotos. From Funny Photo Booths to Smart Photography].
Forbes (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^
"Ponad milion złotych dla FunFotos od Inovo" [Over a Million Zlotys for FunFotos from Inovo]. MamStartup (in Polish). 2023-04-22. Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^
"Zarabiają na fotobudkach. Na rozwój pozyskali 1,3 mln zł" [They Make Money on Photo Booths, and They Raised PLN 1.3 Million for Development]. MamBiznes.pl (in Polish). 2015-08-17. Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^
"Zdjęcia do dowodu osobistego za złotówkę" [Photos for an ID Card for 1 Zloty]. Poznański Budżet Obywatelski 2017 (in Polish).
Urząd Miasta Poznania . 2016-09-09. Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^
"FunFotos ma już 130 punktów w Polsce i szykuje się do ekspansji na Europę" [FunFotos Already Has 130 Points in Poland and Is Preparing to Expand to Europe]. retailnet.pl . 2022-08-30. Archived from
the original on 2022-08-30. Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^
"Mały metraż na dużą skalę. FunFotos przekracza granice" [Small Size on a Large Scale. FunFotos Pushes Boundaries]. propertynews.pl (in Polish). 2019-01-15. Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^ RAJA (2021-03-15).
"Zawdzięczają sukces pandemii. Aplikacja ma pomóc zrobić zdjęcie do dokumentu #PolskaToWiecej" [They Owe Success of the Pandemic. The App Is to Help Take a Photo for Document]. tvp.info (in Polish).
Telewizja Polska . Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^
"US Passport Photo Maker AiD - Apps on Google Play" . 2019-11-23. Retrieved 2023-04-22 – via
Google Play .
^ Gadomska, Hanna (2020-04-21).
"Potrzebujesz zdjęć do dokumentów? Zrób je sam - telefonem. Ta aplikacji ci w tym pomoże" [Need Photos for Documents? Do It Yourself - Over the Phone. This App Will Help You with That].
National Geographic (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^
"Opracowanie technologii pozwalających na rozpoznawanie określonych cech fotografii osób" [Developing Technologies That Allow Recognizing Specific Features of Photographs of People]. Mapa Dotacji (in Polish).
Ministry of Regional Development . Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^
"Grant dla firmy PhotoAiD S.A." [Grant for PhotoAiD S.A.]. Sieć Otwartych Innowacji (in Polish). Industrial Development Agency. 2022-06-15. Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^
"Niesamowite zdjęcia Polski zachwyciły świat" [Amazing Photos of Poland Delighted the World]. Pytanie na Śniadanie (in Polish).
Telewizja Polska . 2021-05-22. Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^
"018326759 - photoAiD" (Trade mark information).
European Union Intellectual Property Office . 2021-04-17. Retrieved 2023-03-25 .
^
"Lider rynku wprowadza możliwość wykonania zdjęcia do dowodu i paszportu telefonem" [Market Leader Introduces the Possibility of Taking a Photo for the ID Card and Passport with a Phone].
Polish Press Agency (in Polish). 2020-08-26. Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^
a
b
"Visafoto Vs. PhotoAiD: Passport Photo Tools Review" . Passport Today . 2022-02-24. Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^
"PhotoAiD" . SaaSworthy . 2023-04-22. Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^ Edward, Frank (2023-03-20).
"Photoaid Review and Its Alternatives" . VanceAI . Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^ Duszczyk, Michał (2023-04-11).
"Bracia z Polski na zdjęciach zrobili globalny interes. Z fotokabin do AI" [Brothers from Poland Made a Global Deal in the photos. From Photo Booths to AI].
Rzeczpospolita (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^
"Kreuj obraz zawodowy - zrób profesjonalne zdjęcie do CV!" [Create Your Professional Image - Take a Professional Photo for Your CV!].
Kazimierz Pułaski University of Technology and Humanities in Radom . 2021-09-16. Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^ Woźnicki, Robert (2021-07-15).
"Bezpłatny Kreator Zdjęć do dowodu osobistego" [Free ID Photo Creator].
Urząd Miasta i Gminy Niemcza (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^
"Projekt PhotoAiD wraz z Ministerstwem Cyfryzacji stworzył Generator zdjęć dowodowych - Dla mieszkańca - Urząd Miejski w Kostrzynie" [Joint Project by PhotoAiD with the Ministry of Digitization Created the Evidence Photo Generator].
Urząd Miejski w Kostrzynie (in Polish). 2021-01-22. Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^
"Bezpłatne Zdjęcie Do Dowodu Osobistego dla Seniora" [Free Photo For Identity Card For Seniors]. Magazyn Świat Seniora . 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2023-04-02 .
^
"Generator Zdjęć do Legitymacji" [ID Photo Generator - Elementary School in Szczepancowa]. Szkoła Podstawowa w Szczepańcowej . 2023-04-02. Retrieved 2023-04-22 .
^
"Bezpłatny Generator Zdjęć do mLegitymacji" [Free Image Generator for mLegitymacja Cards]. Szkoła Podstawowa nr 7 w Białymstoku . Retrieved 2023-04-22 .