Viewdle

About Viewdle

Viewdle, a Ukrainian-American company, specialized in computer vision and machine learning, focusing on facial, object, and gesture recognition technologies for mobile devices. The company was founded in 2006 by Yegor Anchishkin and Yuriy Musatenko, who identified commercial potential in image recognition technology developed by the Kyiv Institute of Cybernetics. The core R&D team also included tech co-founders Anrii Tsarov, Denis Otchenashko, Ivan Kovtun, and Konstantin Milstein. Initial funding was secured from Yuri Frayman, who later served as chairman of the board.

Yegor Anchishkin, a serial entrepreneur, had a background in an investment company before co-founding Viewdle and later founded other ventures like Zakaz.ua and Instock. Laurent Gil, who served as CEO, has a history of co-founding successful tech companies, including Zenedge (acquired by Oracle), and holds multiple advanced degrees in computer science and management. His leadership was instrumental before his departure shortly before the Google acquisition. Yuri Frayman, an early investor and the company's first CEO, played a key role in the company's financial backing and strategic direction.

Viewdle's primary business was providing a software development kit (SDK) to software developers and enabling smartphone manufacturers to embed its recognition technology directly into their handsets. Its technology powered applications for real-time photo tagging, media management, and augmented reality games. For instance, their SocialCamera app could automatically tag Facebook friends in photos as they were taken, and they developed an Android game called Third Eye. The business model was centered on licensing these patented algorithms and recognition engines to other companies. A significant milestone was achieved in October 2012 when Google acquired Viewdle for an estimated $30 to $45 million. The acquisition was handled through Google's Motorola Mobility unit, with which Viewdle already had a commercial agreement. The primary motivation for the acquisition was to enhance augmented reality and face recognition capabilities within the Android ecosystem and other Google services like Google+ and Picasa. Following the acquisition, the majority of the Viewdle team relocated to the United States and joined the Motorola Mobility team and later the Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group.