Superpose raises $2.2M to coach photo poses with AI

Key Takeaways

1Superpose, an iOS app launched in July by two former TikTok employees, has raised $2.2 million

2The app claims over 22,000 downloads and more than 190,000 generated poses

3It offers five free generations per day, with paid packs, and focuses on real photography

Why it matters : Superpose illustrates the rise of AI tools for photography, with a positioning that prioritizes support for authentic portraiture rather than the creation of artificial images.

Created by Melody Chu and Jing Liu, former TikTok employees, the iOS app Superpose generates poses for portraits and guides users in real-time. The startup claims over 22,000 downloads, a paid freemium model, and $2.2 million raised. It aims to focus on "real" photography and is further improving its suggestions.

$2.2M raised, 22,000 downloads, and a paid freemium model

Superpose has raised $2.2 million from Khosla Ventures, Meitu, and OVTR VC. Launched in July, the iOS app boasts over 22,000 downloads and reports that its users have generated more than 190,000 poses. Its model offers five free generations per day, with the option to purchase five additional generations for $2.99 or twenty generations for $9.99.

How the app works and what still needs improvement

Superpose functions like a camera app. Users can take a selfie or a photo of a friend, and then the AI generates four pose suggestions. The created poses can be saved, and a pose-match feature allows users to try to replicate the suggested pose within the frame. Some suggestions may seem odd or extravagant; the company states it is working to improve the quality of poses, customization, and coaching directly from the viewfinder.

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Focus on "real" portraits, without generated backgrounds

Melody Chu emphasizes that other companies are investing in AI-guided photography, but asserts that Superpose aims to become the best app for AI-guided portraits. The startup does not wish to generate backgrounds or artificial images and prefers to focus on real photography. The stated goal is to prioritize capturing authentic memories rather than placing users in fictional settings.

A dynamic context and seasoned founders

The sector is already seeing AI initiatives for photography, such as Camera Coach launched by Google on Pixel phones, or a feature from Adobe introduced in July that critiques and suggests modifications for photos. Superpose, backed by two former TikTok employees, fits into this trend. Melody Chu has held product positions at Meta, Nextdoor, Roblox, TikTok, and Slack. Jing Liu co-founded a 3D face scanning startup before working on image and video models at TikTok. Chu explains that the idea for Superpose stemmed from a personal issue with poorly taken photos, and she decided to launch it by leveraging advancements in computer vision and generative AI.