2020 has no doubt been challenging and strange. But, against that bleak background, it did provide an opportunity for us to shine. So to get even more inspired, we’re looking back at some of our favorite moments from the past year.
Insights
We realized the importance of not only transforming our global standing but achieving the internal change.
2020 proved to be a turning point for us in terms of understanding where SketchAR’s power lies and who exactly we can offer our product to. Ultimately, we chose to turn ordinary people into creators with a unique set of tools and entertainment component — 70% of our users are beginners in art-making or those who have never created anything before. Each tool is exceptional and only available on our app.
Product updates
We committed some great modifications to make the user experience smoother and more enjoyable.
In May, we ran the very first version of our creator platform, where people can share their art, as well as compete on a weekly basis for the Creator of the Week title (the best work is displayed on the main screen).
In August, we introduced the starter version of the onboarding and customized system — the way the app finds out the user level and recommends relevant content. This remains a top priority for the upcoming year.
In October, we released AI Portraits, an awesome feature for turning photos into illustrations (from comics to anime).
In December, we presented AR masks in collaboration with Snapchat as part of the Yellow Collabs Program.
Finally, at the end of the year, we launched mini-games to develop the cognitive and creative abilities of our users (e.g. to distinguish between color shades) and give them some meditation and anti-stress effect, too.
Partnerships
SketchAR was honored to enter the third class of startups in Yellow — Snap’s accelerator for entrepreneurs working at the intersection of content creation and technology. Through our participation in the 14-week program, we received $150,000 in equity funding, mentorship from industry veterans inside and outside of Snap, networking events with media luminaries, and commercial support.
Mentions
SketchAR was included in the book on augmented reality, which had been created over seven years by Chetankumar G Shetty, a tech enthusiast with a special interest in AR.
SketchAR’s founder and CEO Andrey Drobitko took part as a speaker in the 9th International Open Innovations Forum in Moscow.
SketchAR was recognized as one of Europe’s leading AI companies in 2020.
Numbers
We achieved significant growth in various areas:
· App — The number of active users tripled,+2 million new ones in 2020 and over 4 million in total.
· TikTok — Getting started in February 2020, we now have almost 500 thousand subscribers with 65 million views and 5.5 million likes.
· Team — The existing 9 problem-solvers were joined by a new backend developer, artist, editor & writer, and creative content manager.
We’ve had an uncertain but at the same time busy and interesting period, so it’s harder to come up with more appropriate closing words that would best reflect all our emotions this year.
Thank you all, our incredible team, partners, and users, for continuing to develop, support, and expand SketchAR. No matter what is happening in the world — if there is a will, there’s a way. Your work contributes to our happiness and success.
Stay tuned for 2021!
Sincerely,
The Team at SketchAR
