Georgian startuppers Roma Gujabidze and Gabriel Meliva have found an effective way to remind people of the joys of taking and printing photos. They have created a device called Printomato, which offers customers free photos and unique advertising opportunities.
2001 was an important year for the photo industry. Having admitted defeat in the face of the digital revolution, Polaroid sold its head office and filed for bankruptcy. It was also the year when global sales of 35mm film started to fall. The rapid rise of digital cameras turned the traditional model of the photography industry upside down. For a while, we all believed that family photo albums were a thing of the past. Taking photos and instantly viewing them on a screen seemed appealing. The era of blurry images and the red-eye effect was over. Everything suggested that the future belonged to high-resolution digital photos: you did not have to go elsewhere to view them, pay for the development of the film, and wait for them to be printed.
Gen Z is the first generation whose photos from early childhood onwards have been taken almost entirely by digital cameras. They are largely strangers to the ritual of viewing newly printed pictures with their families. It may seem strange that this generation is now driving the growth of photo booths and analog cameras. Yet nostalgia has an incredible power over people – even those who have never experienced it firsthand. In an era of smart kettles and ultramodern VR tools, retro devices with a non-glossy design naturally evoke thoughts of the past when everything was much simpler.
Gabriel Meliva and Roma Gujabidze, founders of the Georgian startup Printomato, understand the sentimental value of capturing important events. Printomato is the successor to Gabriel and Roma’s previous successful products, Memogram and Giffer, but at the same time, it is an entirely new product. With the help of this device, the process of taking and printing a picture becomes one seamless experience where the user does not pay anything. In addition to the physical device, Printomato is an innovative adtech platform allowing brands to transfer digitally placed adverts onto a real medium. Sponsorship revenues fund the printing of customers’ photos.
In an era when photos largely exist in digital form, the young innovators are offering something new and very familiar at the same time – something between a photo booth and an analog camera.
“I believe we have found the right balance for our three major stakeholder groups: bars, hotels, and other gathering spots can attract more people by offering additional entertainment, customers can print their photos free of charge, while brands can benefit from a new and unique channel of communication,” Gabriel explains. According to him, a marketing campaign based on photo printing can be more effective than advertising in the digital or physical space alone. Sentimental value makes this type of product placement more impactful in the longer term: “You are virtually guaranteed your brand name will end up on someone’s fridge.”
Roma has many years of experience working with digital products. He sees Printomato’s main appeal as a combination of the best aspects of digital and outdoor advertising: “Brands find it very difficult to measure the results of advertising placed in a physical location. With Printomato, they can place targeted ads by location while also being able to measure and analyze the results of their marketing activities accurately.” With the help of Printomato’s Ads Manager, brands can also create memorable campaigns for the name placement on the photos, thereby turning user engagement into a specific action: “In this case, the number of printed photos can be viewed as the equivalent of impressions, while actions such as scanning a QR code, writing a review or filling out a questionnaire can be viewed as conversions (desired actions taken by users).”
Gabriel and Roma became convinced of the demand for such a product through close communication with users and clients. Giffer and Memogram account for a combined total of around 10,000 events, 1 million photo prints, and 2 million GIFs. “We have accumulated enough experience to sense what is happening in this field,” says Gabriel. “If you look at the trends, you will see that the demand for printed photos is constantly growing. At the same time, users share pictures on social networks after printing, further increasing the reach of each image and the information contained within it.”
Experts believe the photo booth market will be worth $810 million by 2027. According to the analog photo industry leader Fujifilm, at least one billion photos are taken with their Instax cameras each year. There is currently no equivalent to Printomato on the international market. The most relevant example would be TouchTunes, whose digital music players are installed in 75,000 bars and restaurants across Europe and the USA.
Gabriel is confident that it will be easy to get bars and other establishments interested in Printomato: “Until now, there has not been a device that could be purchased by a bar, cafe, or hotel and placed like a jukebox. We have also noticed this demand from customers who rent Giffer and Memogram for their events.” While there are certain difficulties in selling Giffer and Memogram and maintaining them in good condition, which requires technical know-how and financing, the idea behind Printomato was to make it a permanent fixture at any relevant facilities from the start. This device can become an additional source of revenue for a bar, restaurant, shopping mall, or hotel. “Initially, these facilities can offer their suppliers ad placement and earn additional money. We will also share some of our advertising revenue with them,” says Gabriel.
The picture format used by the Printomato machines is unique not only in Georgia but also around the whole world. The paper resembles a cinema ticket, and the images are printed in black and white. It takes two seconds to take and print a picture. When choosing the printer and the material, the creators of Printomato considered the cost of printing each photo and the ease of use.
Our focus is not on printing amazing quality photos. Printomato helps create unforgettable memories, and we want to offer users this opportunity free of charge, – Gabriel explains.
Printomato has only been around for seven or eight months. It took approximately three months to create the prototype, which was placed in a bar in Tbilisi in the summer of 2024. Heineken soon expressed an interest in cooperation. “We actively tested the product and printed up to 2,500 photos over the next few months,” Gabriel states. The startup was also represented at several tech events, where it received positive feedback and advice from tech enthusiasts and potential sponsors. According to Gabriel, offering free photos is an effective way of ensuring user engagement. With printing costs covered, guests at corporate events and gatherings will routinely print between 150 and 200 pictures within two hours.
Most Georgian startups create digital products, whereas hardware-oriented startups are relatively rare. Gabriel Meliva points out that a hardware-based startup has its pros and cons. While the initial production phase is quite tricky and building awareness takes longer than a digital product, hardware has a longer life cycle, and the user forms a deeper emotional connection. “If we put our device in a bar and that bar is open for ten years, the machine will serve guests for ten years,” says Gabriel.
According to Roma, designing the prototype was relatively easy, thanks to the years spent honing Giffer and Memogram. “We are now waiting for improved versions to arrive from abroad to decide where to start mass production.” Printomato currently has three simple prototypes, while the first upgraded model will be available in late November. Luka Janjgava created the product’s conspicuous multicolor design and visual branding.
Gabriel and Roma share a passion for innovation; they have a fun-loving approach toward their work and a genuine interest in consumer behavior. However, they also clearly view product development through different lenses. Gabriel loves photography more, while adtech is more Roma’s comfort zone. Both of them have been interested in startups and entrepreneurship since 2014. For three years, they developed competing services in the shape of Memogram and Giffer but then created an important precedent for the Georgian startup ecosystem by joining forces.
“We would see each other at startup meetings and exchange ideas. At some point, we just decided to move into an office together and split the costs. Working in the same space made us conclude that cooperation was preferable to competition in such a small market,” Gabriel recalls. The merger gave a tailwind to both companies, with the number of orders soon increasing from around 300 to over 1,000 per year.
Gabriel and Roma believe that it is crucial for startuppers to constantly communicate with one another and with the different parts of the ecosystem. At its initial development stage, Printomato attracted investment from the Georgian angel investor network Axel. According to the network’s managing director, Iro Tsagareishvili, the Printomato team delivered a persuasive and well-organized presentation to potential investors.
“Before investing in a startup, we have certain procedures at Axel. The investment process begins with the screening stage, where we receive detailed information from startups. We look at the team behind the startup, the startup’s potential, market demand, the business model, the financial performance to date, competitors, and the exit strategy. Printomato successfully completed our screening process and garnered significant interest from the investment committee. Gabriel and Roma have valuable experience in technology and startups. The deal was closed quickly, and the investors in our network became actively involved in helping Printomato from that moment,” Iro explains.
Printomato used the investment received to conduct research, create prototypes, hold demo events, and develop a visual identity. According to Gabriel, the connections they acquired from Axel were as important as the money: “Many investors expressed their desire to help us enter the American and European markets. We greatly appreciate the trust they have shown in us.”
In October 2024, Printomato also won the Georgian Innovation and Technology Agency’s co-financing grant and received ₾150,000 in funding. The investment committee was composed of well-known international venture investors.
According to Roma, Printomato will use the money to improve and scale the prototype. “We want to crack the international market. Although our primary goal right now is to work with Georgian agencies and institutions, we do not intend to linger at this stage for very long.”
It is clear that the creators of Printomato not only know what they are doing but also why they are doing it. Gabriel and Roma understand perfectly well that they are not in the photography business but rather the experience business.
Printomato’s distinctive design, its win-win-win model (benefitting the business, the customer, and the sponsor), and a product that speaks to the deepest and most human desires create a solid foundation for the startup’s success. As recent history has shown, there is still a place for imperfect photos in a world of high-resolution cameras.
