About Applied Science Fiction
Applied Science Fiction is a Media & Entertainment company based in Austin (United States) founded in 1995, and was acquired by Eastman Kodak Company in May 2003. It operates as a dry film processing and automatic photo restoration software is provided. Applied Science Fiction has raised $86.5 million across 3 funding rounds from investors including IBM, TIAA and Eastman Kodak Company. The company has 27 employees. The company was acqui-hired. Its focus areas include Consumer, Online Photos, Photo Management and Professional. Its legal entity is ASF, INC. Its competitors include PhotoShelter, GotPhoto, Pixieset, Vermill and Premagic and 4 more; 5 of its 9 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
Applied Science Fiction was founded in 1995 in Austin, United States, as a developer of software and plug-ins. Operations center on dry film processing technologies and automatic photo restoration tools within the imaging software sector. Services include plug-in integrations for photo editing workflows. The company was acquired by Kodak in May 2013, integrating its solutions into broader photography systems.
- Headquarters Austin, United States
- Employees 27
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsMedia & Entertainment
- Website asf.com
- Social LinkedIn
- Acquired by Eastman Kodak Company (May 2003)
- Legal Name Asf, Inc.
- Total Equity Funding$86.5M (USD)
in 3 rounds
- Latest Funding Round$55M (USD), Series E
Apr 2001
- InvestorsIBM
& 9 more
- Employee Count27
- Acquired byEastman Kodak Company
(May 2003)
Funding Insights of Applied Science Fiction
Applied Science Fiction has successfully raised a total of $86.5M across 3 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Series E round of $55 million completed in April 2001. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $86.5M
- Total Rounds 3
- Last Round Series E — $55M
- Investors Count 9
All 3 funding rounds of Applied Science Fiction with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2001 | $55M | Series E | – | – | |
| Apr 1999 | $31.5M | Series B | – | – | |
| Jun 1998 | – | Unspecified | – | Austin Technology Incubator | – |
10 investors in total: 10 institutional.
Investors in Applied Science Fiction
Applied Science Fiction has secured backing from 10 investors, including venture fund and institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include IBM, TIAA and Eastman Kodak Company.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Early-stage tech startups are invested in by Rho Capital Partners. | – | rho.com | New York, United States | |
Venture capital is invested in global technology companies by TCV. | – | tcv.com | Menlo Park, United States | |
Early-stage investing in IT and healthcare ventures. | – | interwest.com | - | |
A venture capital firm focused on technology investments. | 2004 | tritonventures.com | Austin, United States | |
- | – | centerpointvp.com | - | |
Early-stage US investments in technology and offline sectors are targeted. | – | srfunds.com | Dallas, United States | |
Deep tech commercialization is facilitated by Austin Technology Incubator. | 1989 | ati.utexas.edu | Austin, USA | |
Hybrid cloud and DevOps automation are delivered to enterprises. | 1911 | ibm.com | United States | |
Provider of retirement planning, investment, and wealth management services | 1918 | tiaa.org | New York, United States | |
Imaging technology is supplied through hardware, software, and services. | 1892 | kodak.com | United States |
Investor details for Applied Science Fiction
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of Applied Science Fiction
4 dated milestones of Applied Science Fiction across 8 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Applied Science Fiction is founded.
- Funding First funding round.
- Funding Latest funding round, Series E, of $55.0M.
- Exit Acquired by Eastman Kodak Company.
Competitors of Applied Science Fiction
Applied Science Fiction has 9 listed competitors in our database, 5 of them funded. They include PhotoShelter, GotPhoto, Pixieset, Vermill and Premagic, among others.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| photoshelter.com | 2005 | New York, United States | $12.2M | – | Photography website tools and photo marketplace are provided. | |
| gotphoto.com | 2012 | Berlin, Germany | – | – | Online photo sales for school photography businesses are facilitated. | |
| pixieset.com | 2013 | Vancouver, Canada | – | 2 | An all-in-one platform is provided for modern photographers. | |
| vermill.io | 2021 | Chicago, United States | $16M | – | AI-powered online photo management platform for professionals | |
| premagic.com | 2018 | Bengaluru, India | $769,484 | 27 | Lead generation platform for professional photographers | |
| imagely.com | 2009 | Boulder, United States | – | – | WordPress plugins and themes for photographers are provided by Imagely. | |
| pic-time.com | 2010 | Oakland, United States | – | – | Online platform for photo gallery management and client services. | |
| pictage.com | 1999 | Torrance, United States | $32M | – | Pictage operates as an online platform for photo galleries, e-commerce, editing, and photo-based products. | |
| geosnapshot.com | 2013 | Sydney, Australia | $75,000 | – | GeoSnapShot is focused on smart photo and video sharing for events. |
Detailed competitors of Applied Science Fiction
The full competitor set, operating metrics and side-by-side benchmarks require an active premium plan.
- Full competitor set
- Operating metrics
- Benchmarks
- Competitive positioning
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Web traffic of Applied Science Fiction
Websites that share an audience with Applied Science Fiction (asf.com).
Websites whose visitors overlap most with Applied Science Fiction. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| thepluginsite.com | 100% | – | #4,156,420 | View details | |
powerretouche.com | powerretouche.com | 99% | – | – | – |
softadvice.informer.com | softadvice.informer.com | 99% | – | – | – |
flamingpear.com | flamingpear.com | 97% | – | #2,805,366 | – |
autofx.com | autofx.com | 88% | – | #9,958,067 | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 23 similar websites and full traffic analytics for Applied Science Fiction
The complete similar-websites list, audience overlap and engagement analytics require an active premium plan.
- 23 similar websites
- Audience overlap
- Engagement analytics
- Traffic by brand
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Top companies in Photography & Online Media Services
10 companies that operate in the same segment as Applied Science Fiction (Photography & Online Media Services), ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Photo editing and sharing apps are developed by Meitu. | 2008 | Xiamen, Fujian, China | USD 525 M | USD 536.99 M | 719 | |
Online platform for creating graphic images | 2012 | Surry Hills, New South Wales, Australia | USD 589.22 M | USD 668.78 M | 20,257 | |
AI-powered platform manages marketing creatives and customer journeys. | 1982 | San Jose, California, United States | – | USD 23.77 B | 30,710 | |
Royalty-free stock photos, creative images, and vectors are supplied globally. | 1995 | Seattle, Washington, United States | USD 625 M | USD 939.29 M | 1,700 | |
AI video generation models and production tools are developed. | 2013 | Jerusalem, Jerusalem District, Israel | USD 335 M | – | 515 | |
Developer of generative AI models for image, video, audio, and 3D | 2021 | London, England, United Kingdom | USD 257 M | – | 184 | |
Product and portrait photo editing is enabled through mobile application. | 2019 | Paris, France | USD 62.15 M | – | – | |
Social platform for photo and video sharing | 2010 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 57.05 M | – | – | |
Tenor is recognized for providing GIF-based communication tools. | 2014 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 30.5 M | – | – | |
Cloud-based AR-enabled photo collaboration for field services is provided. | 2015 | Lincoln, Nebraska, United States | USD 36.25 M | – | 362 |
Unlock complete access to The Company Check
Get unrestricted viewing across everything we track — from companies and brands to investors, funding rounds, acquisitions, financials, and more.
- Unlimited viewing on all profiles Companies, investors, financials, funding, acquisitions & directors
- Full access to every database India & global coverage, advanced filters and rich profile details
- Always-on access from your team account Single premium plan for everything you see on the portal
Related news about Applied Science Fiction
Complete news archive for Applied Science Fiction
Full article history, source details, and older brand coverage require an active premium plan.
- Full article archive
- Source and publication date
- Older coverage
- Brand-specific news history
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Frequently Asked Questions about Applied Science Fiction
Applied Science Fiction was founded in 1995 and raised its 1st funding round 3 years after it was founded.
Applied Science Fiction is headquartered in Austin, United States. It is registered at Austin, Texas, United States.
Applied Science Fiction is a funded company, having raised a total of $86.5M across 3 funding rounds to date.
Applied Science Fiction has 27 employees.
Applied Science Fiction was founded in 1995 in Austin, United States, as a developer of software and plug-ins. Operations center on dry film processing technologies and automatic photo restoration tools within the imaging software sector. Services include plug-in integrations for photo editing workflows. The company was acquired by Kodak in May 2013, integrating its solutions into broader photography systems.
Applied Science Fiction's top competitors include PhotoShelter, Premagic and Vermill.
Applied Science Fiction has 10 investors. Key investors include IBM, TIAA, Eastman Kodak Company, Rho Capital Partners, and TCV.
Applied Science Fiction operates through Asf, Inc..
Yes. Applied Science Fiction was acquired by Eastman Kodak Company in May 2003.