Smiler

# Smiler: On-the-Spot Event Photography Marketplace

High-Level Overview

Smiler is a gig economy platform that connects freelance and professional photographers with event venues and customers, enabling photographers to capture and sell photos in real-time at live events.[1] Rather than relying on traditional venue photography models with fixed equipment and permanent staffing, Smiler allows photographers to roam events, display QR codes to customers, and facilitate immediate photo sales both on-site and online.[1]

The company serves a dual-sided marketplace: photographers seeking flexible, high-earning opportunities, and event attendees wanting professional-quality photos of their experiences.[1] By democratizing event photography, Smiler addresses the inefficiency of traditional venue photography providers like DEI Global, Magic Memories, and Picsolus, which depend on costly infrastructure and permanent staff.[1]

Origin Story

Smiler was launched in May 2021 by CEO and co-founder Kasper Middelkoop and is based in Amsterdam, Netherlands.[1] The company emerged from a recognition that traditional event photography models were economically inefficient and excluded talented photography enthusiasts from earning opportunities.

In June 2022, Smiler raised an $8 million seed round led by Mosaic Ventures, with participation from Speedinvest, Dutch Founders Fund, PROfounders Capital, and angel investors including Greg Marsh (who previously sold onefinestay to Accor Hotels for £117 million).[1] This funding validated the marketplace model and enabled geographic expansion across the U.K., Netherlands, France, Spain, and Italy.[1]

Core Differentiators

• Flexible photographer onboarding: The platform has grown to over 9,000 photographers, including both professionals and talented enthusiasts, without requiring exclusive contracts or permanent employment.[1]

• Generous commission structure: Smiler offers photographers substantially higher earning potential than traditional gig platforms through a more favorable commission split, giving them scalable control over work frequency and volume.[1]

• Venue partnerships: The company has secured partnerships with high-profile venues including Manchester City Football Club, Paris's Montparnasse Tower, ARTIS Amsterdam Royal Zoo, and the Tower of London, providing photographers with premium event access.[1]

• Streamlined customer experience: The QR code-based system simplifies the photo discovery and purchase process, allowing customers to review and buy photos immediately or later online.[1]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Smiler capitalizes on the gig economy's expansion into specialized services and the growing demand for experiential monetization at events. As billions of people travel annually and seek high-quality photo memories, the company addresses a genuine gap between consumer desire for professional photography and the cost-prohibitive nature of traditional event photography services.[4]

The timing is favorable: post-pandemic event recovery has driven renewed investment in live experiences, while the normalization of remote work and flexible employment makes gig-based photography attractive to a broader talent pool.[1] Smiler's model also reflects a broader shift toward platform-based service delivery that reduces fixed costs for venues while expanding earning opportunities for independent professionals.

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Smiler is well-positioned to scale across Europe and potentially beyond, leveraging its strong investor backing and growing photographer network. The company's success depends on deepening venue partnerships, expanding into new event categories (corporate events, weddings, festivals), and potentially developing AI-powered photo curation or enhancement tools to increase customer lifetime value.

The broader opportunity lies in transforming how experiential moments are monetized—moving from venue-controlled photography to a distributed network model where any skilled photographer can participate. As event venues increasingly seek cost-efficient alternatives to traditional photography providers, Smiler's model offers a compelling alternative that benefits all stakeholders.