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In a digital age shaped by artificial intelligence, few stories shine as brightly as that of GlamAI—a San Francisco-based startup that has rapidly emerged as a powerhouse in AI-powered photo and video editing. Founded by 24-year-old Paul Shaburov, GlamAI blends technological innovation with user-centric creativity, quickly establishing itself as one of the most talked-about startups in California’s thriving tech ecosystem.
In April 2025, GlamAI’s flagship app, GlamApp, broke into the top 5 in the U.S. App Store’s Photo & Video category among free apps (source: AppFollow)—an impressive achievement for a bootstrapped startup. Even more striking, the app reached profitability within its first year and now boasts 1.3 million monthly active users (MAUs), – according to AppMagic. The app’s viral growth has been fueled by over 100 million social media views and a wide range of dynamic filters and features including “Fitness Body,” “Anime,” “Vintage,” and “White Business Suit.”
GlamApp isn’t just another filter-based editor—it’s a creative engine powered by generative AI. Its advanced technology allows users to create high-quality, content-ready visuals instantly, making it particularly popular among professional users such as marketers, small business owners, content creators, designers, and social media influencers.
GlamAI’s innovation is grounded in a robust intellectual property portfolio, including patents (pending and approved) covering a wide range of breakthroughs: text-driven photo style adjustment, AI-based scene and pose replacement, virtual try-on via predefined clothing patterns, AI-driven stylization of video and photo with description tuning, smooth video-to-video outfit generation, and garment-specific image transformations using object detection.
Founded in California, GlamAI reflects the entrepreneurial spirit and creative energy of the Golden State. The startup’s success story is also one of legacy—Paul Shaburov is the son of the founder of Looksery, the face-filter technology acquired by Snapchat for $150 million in 2015. Having grown up immersed in the startup world, Paul learned early on what it takes to build and scale transformative products.
“GlamAI is a tool, but the power lies with our users,” Paul explains. “Our mission is to amplify creativity, not replace it. The journey content creators take with GlamAI is what makes it so powerful.”
GlamAI’s team of experienced data scientists and business leaders has helped the company stay nimble and focused. With zero venture capital to date, the startup is a case study in bootstrapped success, proving that profitability and scale are achievable when customer needs and fast iteration are prioritized.
What sets GlamAI apart is its ability to produce stunning, photorealistic visuals while preserving critical details such as facial identity, clothing texture, logos, and drape—features that are particularly valuable to fashion industry enterprises exploring virtual try-on technology to reduce return rates on online orders.
Today, GlamAI is exploring partnerships with fashion retailers and e-commerce platforms to expand its virtual try-on capabilities. As AI continues to influence both art and industry, GlamAI stands out as a platform that fuses innovation with intention, offering tools that empower users to tell their stories in unprecedented ways.
With about $2.5 M in monthly recurring revenue (MRR) and growing demand, GlamAI is not just keeping pace with the AI boom—it’s leading it. As Paul Shaburov sees it, “The future of creativity lies at the intersection of technology and human imagination. And we’re just getting started.”
