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By renaming yourself DIFFUSE.LY Meero attempts to forget a past marked by excesses, criticism and painful restructuring. However, behind this rebranding, the company managed for 2 years by Gaétan Rougevin-Baville, who joined it in the first year of its creation as COO, remains heir to a history which has left its mark, both on the employees and on the reputation of the startup.
Founded in 2017Meero raised a total of $293 millionwith a final operation in 2020 who had elevated her to the rank of unicorn. The startup managed to convince major funds like EURAZEO, WHITE STAR CAPITAL, AGLAÉ VENTURES, or even ALVEN alongside figures from the entrepreneurial world. But despite this financial arsenal, Meero failed to build a sustainable model.
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From the start, the startup faced harsh criticism from photographers. The prices imposed were considered derisory, sometimes around 12 euros per photowhile professionals were forced to abandon their copyrights. The platform, by focusing on automation via artificial intelligence, has accelerated the standardization of photographymeeting the needs of e-commerce and real estate, but to the detriment of an already precarious profession.
The collapse came with the pandemic Covid-19. The market froze, and Meero, heavily exposed to the delivery and real estate sectors, came to a sudden halt. Two social plans successive ones followed: the numbers increased from 600 to 350 employees between 2020 and 2021, before reaching today less than 200 employees. These massive restructurings marked the end of the flamboyant era embodied by Thomas Rebaudwho left his position to make way for Gaétan Rougevin-Baville.
Under his leadership, the company made a strategic pivot, abandoning its marketplace model to focus on vertical software solutions dedicated to professionals. With tools like CarCutter for automobiles, ProperShot for real estate and AutoRetouch for fashion, Diffuse.ly promises efficiency and cost savings for its customers. However, this new orientation is still largely based on assets inherited from the Meero era, notably a proprietary database of 200 million images accumulated through previous activities. The startup now records recurring revenue of 10 million euros
It remains to be seen whether this rebranding will make it possible to cut ties with the past…
