In this AI Basics episode, Jason sits down with Matt Rouif, Co-founder & CEO of Photoroom — the AI photo editing app with 300M+ downloads and 5B images processed annually.
They break down:
- Why Photoroom built its own specialized AI models
- How they grew from a scrappy startup to $50M+ in revenue
- Lessons in product-led growth (from eBay sellers to DoorDash & Amazon)
- Red-teaming, brand safety, and building trust in AI imagery
- The future of personalized ads, content, and design
This one is a masterclass for founders, operators, and builders.
Timestamps:
(0:00) Matt Rouif joins Jason to discuss AI Basics.
(0:45) Meet Matt Rouif: Photoroom’s $50M+ AI photo startup
(3:15) Live demo: background removal + virtual try-on
(7:40) From indie sellers to DoorDash & Amazon
(12:20) The “Barbie Movie” API moment
(17:05) Red-teaming AI: trust, safety & brand protection
(22:10) Running a 100-person AI startup
(26:30) The future of personalized ads (put you in the ad?)
Explore Further:
Google Cloud’s Report: The Future of AI
Get insights from 23 leading experts on how startups can leverage AI for real business impact.
👉 Read the full report
More AI Basics Episodes
Founders, operators, and builders — catch up on our full Startup Basics series (Legal, Finance, Growth & AI):
👉 thisweekinstartups.com/basics
Links from episode:
Check out Photoroom: https://www.photoroom.com/
Check out Google Cloud: https://cloud.google.com/
Follow Matt:
X: https://x.com/matthieurouif
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthieurouif/
Follow Jason:
X: https://twitter.com/Jason
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis
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