Abbi.io

Jan 13, 2017

Posted WalkMe acquires Abbi.io to add mobile A/B testing and engagement What is it it about Belarus that keeps producing image filter startups? MSQRD was famously acquired by Facebook last year for instance and it also produce the PRISM imaging app. Now new startup Fabby has managed to pull in a $2m funding round – which will go a long way in Belarus, I can tell you. The seed round of funding was led by Haxus Venture Fund. Haxus knows what it is doing in terms of image filter apps: it’s known for previously funding the MSQRD & Prisma filters, and was co-founded by Yuri Gurski along with Yuri Melnichek (the founder of Maps.me). Fabby will use the cash to supercharge it’s brand new technology that automatically separates an object from a background in photos and videos. Why would you want to do that I hear you ask? Well, apart from being super fun — you can suddenly place yourself in a different setting or come up with a funny background — it could be used in many different ways. So for instance you could change the background in an online business call in Skype or other video messenger — given the pile of unwashed clothes in the background might be a tad embarrassing. Applied to a video editor, the technology could come in very handy as well. Founded in summer 2016, Fabby’s platform is based on the neural network to be found under the hood of the modern smartphone. Because Fabby can locate a person on a photo and process the background only, it can also bring the Bokeh effect to ‘less smart’ smartphone cameras, and Fabby claims it can surpass the iPhone 7’s capability in this area. Future plans include support for 360-degree videos and the ability to add personal video backgrounds. Right now the app is available for iOS devices only, and selfie video processing is supported starting from the iPhone 6 and up. An Android release is planned within the next few months. On December 22, Fabby was named Editor’s choice in the App Stores of several countries including Russia, so it’s climbing up the charts in popularity. 0