Freepik Acquires EyeEm to Expand Content Library and Elevate Photography

• Freepik’s acquisition will revive EyeEm from bankruptcy and restore operations
  

• This will enhance Freepik’s content catalogue, with users gaining access to over 160 million photographs
  

Freepik – a leading global tech company providing high-quality audio-visual content – announces its acquisition of EyeEm, the Berlin-based stock photography company. This acquisition is Freepik’s latest international growth effort, following the expansion of its US leadership team earlier this year and the acquisitions of Videvo (UK), Iconfinder (Denmark), and Original Mockups (Colombia).

Through this operation, Freepik will enrich its own content library by gaining access to EyeEm’s unique catalogue of 160 million photographs, built by its contributor community. These photographs will add to Freepik´s 72 million resources – which include videos, illustrations, icons, and vectors. Through Freepik’s revised business model for EyeEm, customers will pay a smaller set fee per month for unlimited downloads – opening up access to premium content.

Founded in 2011 in Berlin, Germany, EyeEm allowed photographers to sell pictures through its platform – focusing on high-end content – with EyeEm retaining part of the fees. In 2022, EyeEm was acquired by British-based Talenthouse before filing for bankruptcy earlier this year. Now, together with Freepik, the remaining employees of EyeEm will strive to reignite the business and rebuild its contributor community.

EyeEm will operate as an independent business – a subsidiary of Freepik, its new parent company.

Over the coming days, Freepik will swiftly pay off all outstanding debts to EyeEm’s 140,000 contributors and enable EyeEm to recover from bankruptcy, restoring its operations. It will also create more favorable conditions for many creatives.

Commenting on the acquisition, Joaquin Cuenca Abela – CEO and co-founder at Freepik – said: “With EyeEm’s acquisition, Freepik is strengthening its offering in the photography market, where there’s a growing need for diverse imagery that’s truly authentic. By investing in EyeEm, we will be supporting its brilliant network of contributors and, more broadly, reinforcing the value of photography. From here, we can pave the road to recovery and make the business sustainable. It’s an exciting time and we’re very much looking forward to working together.”

“EyeEm always stood out to us, thanks to its vibrant community of photographers, who created a brilliant and collaborative ecosystem brimming with originality,” Carlos Marín – Chief Strategy Officer at Freepik – continued. “We are always looking for ways to provide a better experience for our users, and in EyeEm we saw a product with real potential, that really complements and elevates our core offering. This is another milestone in Freepik’s growth journey, and we’re excited that EyeEm is a part of this.”

Marketing Technology News: MarTech Interview with Derek Slager, Co-founder & CTO and Amperity

Peter Willert, Managing Director at EyeEm, added: “Creative contributors have always been at the heart of EyeEm. Now, together with Freepik, we can give back to the people who made EyeEm successful, creating new opportunities. By combining forces, our community will not only survive but thrive as we can focus again on providing original and unique imagery to customers worldwide.”

Freepik is a leading global tech company that helps anyone create great designs faster by producing and distributing high-quality graphic and audiovisual resources. These include photography, videos, design assets like icons and mockups, plus presentation templates. Freepik is the parent company of Flaticon, Slidesgo, Videvo, Iconfinder, Wepik, and EyeEm – design tools that empower more than 100 million monthly users worldwide. Employees reside in Spain, the US, the UK, Denmark, Germany, and Colombia.

Founded in 2010, Freepik has always prized accessibility, as seen with its freemium model. Through Freepik, anyone can express the power of their vision, irrespective of skills or budget. By harnessing artificial intelligence and investing in the right people, Freepik helps humans unlock their creativity – enriching countless industries.

With more than +550 employees, 850 exclusive remote designers, and over 52,000 registered contributors, Freepik has been named by the Financial Times as one of the ‘1,000 Fastest Growing European Companies’ for four consecutive years and has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Best Software Sellers according to G2Company. In 2022, Freepik received the Great Place to Work recognition by Great Place to Work®.

Marketing Technology News: First-party Customer Data: What Brands Should Do to Optimize How They Collect and Use First Party Customer Data