Point your phone camera at a math problem. Get the answer instantly. Plus step-by-step explanations. That's Photomath — the app that made every math student's phone into a tutor. Downloaded 300 million+ times. Used in every country on Earth. Built in Zagreb, Croatia, by a team that proved you don't need Silicon Valley to build a global EdTech hit. Google acquired it in 2022 because even Google couldn't build a better math camera. The most useful app most parents don't know about.
Founded
2014
HQ
Zagreb, Croatia
Total Raised
$29 million
Founder
Damir Sabol, Mario Klepic
Status
Acquired by Google (2022)
Website
photomath.comTHE ORIGIN STORY
Damir Sabol was running a tech company in Zagreb, Croatia, when he saw a demo of computer vision recognizing printed text. He thought: what if a camera could read a math equation and solve it?
In 2014, he and Mario Klepic built Photomath. The first version could scan printed equations and show solutions.
Users went insane. The app went viral on the App Store, hitting #1 in multiple countries.
Over the next few years, the team added handwriting recognition, step-by-step explanations, graphing, and support for everything from basic arithmetic to calculus.
WHAT THEY ACTUALLY DO
Freemium model. The basic app (scanning and solving) is free.
Photomath Plus is a paid subscription ($9.99/month) that adds animated step-by-step explanations, textbook solutions, and deeper learning features. Revenue comes from subscriptions.
With 300M+ downloads, even a small conversion rate generates significant revenue. Google acquired the company in 2022.
THE PRODUCTS
Photomath Camera — scan and solve any printed or handwritten math problem. Step-by-Step Explanations — animated walkthroughs of how to solve each problem.
Graphing — visualize equations on interactive graphs. Textbook Solutions — solutions for popular math textbooks.
HOW THEY GREW
Viral word of mouth. Every student who used Photomath showed it to friends.
The product was so obviously useful that it spread through schools organically. The App Store featured it repeatedly.
Social media (TikTok especially) drove massive awareness. They also expanded from just solving problems to actually teaching the steps, which converted the app from a "cheating tool" to a legitimate learning tool.
THE HARD PART
The "cheating" perception. Teachers and parents initially saw Photomath as a way to cheat on homework.
The company had to reposition from "answer machine" to "math tutor" by investing in the step-by-step explanation features. Competition from AI chatbots (ChatGPT can also solve math) is a new threat, though Photomath's camera-first approach remains more intuitive for written problems.
MONEY TRAIL
Series A
2015 · Led by Goodwater Capital
$4M raised
Series B
2021 · Led by Menlo Ventures
$23M raised
WHO BACKED THEM
Goodwater Capital and Menlo Ventures invested. The company was acquired by Google in 2022 for an undisclosed amount (estimated $200-400 million).
The acquisition brought Photomath's technology into Google's education ecosystem.
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