Photoroom co-founder Andres steps down as CTO of €500M startup
What's the deal? Eliot Andres, co-founder of French AI photo editing startup Photoroom, is stepping down from his executive role after seven years. He will remain involved as a board member. Former Groupon executive Javier Sotelo, who joined at the start of the year, replaces him as chief technology officer.
What does the company do? Andres founded Paris-based Photoroom with chief executive officer Matthieu Rouif in 2019 to make photo editing simple for anyone. Its AI tools help brands and individual sellers turn shots into professional-looking visuals in seconds. Enterprise clients include DoorDash, Wolt, and DecathlonDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
Why now? Andres spent most of his tenure as CTO but shifted to a contributor role this year. "There is no perfect time for a founder to step back, but I'm confident the time is right," he wrote on LinkedIn.
What's the endgame? Andres pointed to the startup's original goal, quoting its Y Combinator application: "Our long-term goal is to allow anyone to make professional edits without any training." He said advances in AI mean "this dream is finally becoming a reality."
On what comes next, Andres said he is "taking a bit of time to reflect on my next projects," adding they "won't stray far from AI or apps." Rouif said he was "excited to keep partnering" with him as a founder and board member.
The signal: The handover brings enterprise-scale operating experience into the CTO seat as Photoroom pushes deeper into commercial markets. Valued at €500m after raising €43m in a 2024 Series B round, the Y Combinator alumnus is betting on a professional operator to carry its AI roadmap forward.
Read more: Tech.eu
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
