Photography dates back to the 19th century, and it’s no wonder that professional photographers have existed for a long time. Professional photographers are called professional for a reason. Not every regular Joe can have a keen eye for angles, lighting, composition, and focus. That’s why the world still needs professional photographers.

Since photographers lose a lot of time on additional work, like editing, a young Frenchman by the name of Thomas Rebaud, decided to help them.

Thomas created a platform called Meero, a tool that makes a professional photographer’s job easier. It helps photographers to focus more on what they do best- taking photos. The rest is done by Meero - connecting them with customers, and editing the photos, among other perks.

Admiring creative people since forever, Thomas Rebaud wanted to find a way to help them focus on their creations, freeing them of any additional work. He did that with Meero.

Stick around to read some more about Thomas’ Meero, the photographer’s ultimate wingman.

Young and Bright in the City of Light

Thomas Rebaud, the founder and CEO of Meero, was born in Paris in 1988. He was an exceptionally smart kid, with a wide range of interests. He wanted to learn and explore things as a way to satisfy his curiosity. Since a young boy, he strived for independence, wanting to do things on his own. His self-confidence and self-esteem would be the essential traits enabling Thomas to pursue a successful career.

Growing up in Paris, Thomas couldn’t escape being affected by the city’s history and culture. Living in a town full of monuments, museums, art galleries… what millions from around the world were coming to witness, he had in his everyday life. Paris is also known as the “city of art”, as many people and artists consider it to be the cradle of art.

Living under the bright Paris lights influenced Thomas to became aware of the importance of art from a young age. He had nothing but respect and admiration for artists and creative people.

His parents provided him with the best education. He was doing ok in school, but he was always a free-spirited young man, more focused on his ideas and dreams than following rules in a structured world.

The Young Entrepreneur

After finishing high school, Thomas had only one wish for the continuation of his education. It was the respected Emlyon Business School in Lyon. He got accepted there and stayed for 5 years until getting a master’s degree in finance.

In his second year at the university, he became the president of the junior branch of the World Entrepreneurship Forum. He learned a lot about entrepreneurship and business during this period. While studying at the university, he took an internship at Societe Generale, a well-known and respected investment bank. He was an intern for 8 months.

Thomas’s experience with the banking world only made him realize that he didn’t want to work for a bank or any corporation, for that matter. His free spirit hasn’t left him. Working on making a name for himself and starting his own company was what he had envisioned for him. He had ideas and could never forgive himself if he abandoned them to work for someone else.

Right after finishing his education, he decided to start a website for zero-rate loans. But things were not going smoothly. He started by himself, putting all his money into the project. Since he knew nothing about websites he needed to find developers and designers. Even though he learned a lot and gained a lot of experience, this project of his ultimately failed.

Even though he lost a lot of money and had to work at clubs at night to cover the loss, he was determined to succeed as an entrepreneur. He started another company called Geoks and later renamed it to Diji, but this time it was aimed at consulting young people, fresh out of college. This company of his was more successful and started growing in size and business matters. But, Thomas was still not satisfied.

Meero, Meero on the Wall, What’s the Best Photography Platform of Them All?

Even though Geoks was successful, Thomas felt that he could do more. Being under such a great influence from art, he always wanted to help artists. He thought that they should completely focus on their passion and creating and not be bothered with anything else in the process.

So, while still being the president of Geoks, Thomas started another project, only this time it was something he was more passionate about. In 2016, when Thomas was 28 years old, he founded Meero, his newest invention. As a lover of photography, he realized that photographers spend a lot of time editing their photos so he came to the idea of using technology to help speed up the process.

Incorporating tools that use AI and machine learning, Meero was able to edit photos in a matter of seconds, as opposed to the hours that it took the photographers. Meero presented a significant difference that could completely change the photography business. Thomas’ photography platform also provided a space for photographers to connect with potential customers. From organizing photoshoots to the deliverance of the photos to the client, Meero takes care of everything. The only thing a photographer is asked to do is to take good photos.

Meero was a very useful invention, not just for photographers, but also for business. Providing high-quality photos whenever someone needed them, and getting them fast for an affordable price was what Meero was offering.

However, becoming a part of the ever-growing photography industry wasn’t all flashes and snaps. Meero was facing some serious competitors like VidMob, Voodle, and PhotoRobot, among other photo-enhancing platforms.

The photography industry is certainly not a small one. We all know how important photography is for marketing. Presenting your product visually in an attractive manner can draw customers to your business.

Say Cheeeese!

Only after months from its founding, interest in Meero emerged. With its creativity and potential, it got investors already knocking at the door. But things were not easy at the beginning. As crazy as it sounds, Thomas refused to sign the deal with the first interested investors, feeling that they did not share his vision, and had no understanding of the product. Basically, he refused a lot of money even though the company was in dire need of funds since Thomas couldn’t even pay his employees.

But Thomas was like that, he was holding on to his values. Having a master’s degree in finance, the art lover was an artist when it came to finances. He started another funding round and managed to get $400.000, which gave the Meero the much-needed boost to start doing business, properly.

A year later, big investments came from Aglae Ventures, offering $18 M, and a year later, an even bigger one followed, courtesy of Alven, Idinvest Partners, and Whitestar Capital for a total amount of $45 M. Meero saw its biggest investment in 2019, when Avenir Growth Capital, Eurazeo, and Priem Ventures decided to invest an amazing $230 M in Meero. It was the biggest funding in one round that ever happened in France.

Thomas Rebaud became an investor in start-ups himself. Just as he wanted to help photographers, he also wanted to help entrepreneurs achieve their dreams and become successful, knowing what it’s like to fail even if you work hard and sacrifice a lot.

The Company, Today

Meero is a Paris-based company, but it also holds offices in New York, Tokyo, Bangalore, and Singapore. The company is led by Thomas Rebaud, its founder and CEO. It has 31.000 customers around the world, with a photoshoot delivered every 30 seconds. Over 10 million photos have been taken by Meero.

The number of employees Meero has is 700, and they come from 49 different nationalities. Meero has a high CEO approval rate of a whopping 80% from his employees and scores high on the gender equality index.

In 2019, Meero became a unicorn company, since its value rose above $1 B. Meero is the leading photography platform in the world, used by 60.000 photographers.

The success of Meero is well-deserved for Thomas Rebaud.

Being adamant to start his own business while still just a student, Thomas didn’t cave in. Dusting himself off and trying anew a number of times only proved his determination and self-belief.

Thomas could’ve just quit and got a job, but he had a bigger picture in mind.
Now, in the center of that picture is a big successful company, and it’s real, not photoshop.