Inmagine

Inmagine's journey began in 2000, a time when the concept of a 'startup' was still foreign in many parts of the world. Husband and wife duo, Andy Sitt and Stephanie Sitt, hailing from Ipoh, Malaysia, embarked on an entrepreneurial adventure from their apartment with just a laptop and a shared vision. Andy had recently left his role at a British company that sold stock images on CDs, a process he felt was ripe for disruption. He was convinced that the way people purchased images could be revolutionized, and that this change could be driven from Asia. Stephanie became his first collaborator in this ambitious endeavor.

Their initial venture, Inmagine, focused on selling premium large-format photo prints, catering primarily to ad agencies. This was a challenging period, as they bootstrapped the company entirely, using their savings and credit cards. Producing their own content was a significant investment, requiring them to hire photographers, scout locations, manage models, and handle all aspects of production and post-production. Sales were initially slow, relying heavily on word-of-mouth, and every penny earned was reinvested back into the business. The founders didn't draw a salary for the first few years, prioritizing the company's survival and growth. Attempts to secure funding were met with rejection, as the venture capital landscape was vastly different, and few understood the potential of their online image business.

A turning point came in 2005 with the rise of digital cameras and the increasing demand for affordable digital content. This led to the creation of 123RF, a platform offering royalty-free stock images, videos, and audio clips at accessible prices. Unlike their previous model, 123RF adopted a crowdsourcing approach, allowing photographers globally to sell their work on the platform. This significantly expanded their content library and market reach. Over the years, Inmagine Group continued to innovate and expand. By 2011, Inmagine had established a global presence with 44 regional offices. They made strategic acquisitions, including TheHungryJPEG, Pixlr, Vectr, and Story & Heart, to broaden their offerings. In 2019, the company consolidated its products into three main pillars: 123RF, Pixlr, and Designs.ai. The launch of their AI platform, Inmagine Brain, in 2020 marked another significant milestone, underscoring their commitment to leveraging technology to empower creativity. Despite challenges, including a data breach in 2020, Inmagine Group has persevered, growing into a global creative ecosystem with a mission to make design accessible to everyone, enabling the world to design smarter, faster, and easier.