On 11 February, the Armenian PicsArt was the second most downloaded free app on Apple’s App Store in the American market. It trailed only TikTok, surpassing YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook, reports Voice of America.
According to the company’s co-founder and CEO Hovhannes Avoyan, the ranking changes frequently, and this Armenian-made platform for editing photos and videos continues to remain among the world’s top twenty similar apps. “According to data from analytics companies, in 2019 PicsArt ranked 14th in the world. Interest in it, however, continues to grow,” he said.
The group that began with 10 people 9 years ago today has 500 employees in Yerevan, San Francisco, Beijing, Moscow, Tokyo and Los Angeles, with 600 million total and 150 million monthly active users.
The market is steadily growing, competition is intensifying, and by constantly developing and offering users new tools, PicsArt continues to remain competitive in the world. Hovhannes Avoyan has his own formula for going from a small country to a big international market. “One must always create something new, try everything,” he says.
According to Avoyan, Armenia’s information technology sector needs specialists in order to develop in step with the times. The country’s new government is taking steps to develop the sector, and this should be focused on professional education. In an article published last week by Forbes magazine titled “Welcome to the World’s Next Tech Center: Armenia,” PicsArt was also mentioned, being described as a successful startup.
Since its founding, the company has received numerous awards and prizes, including Forbes’ 2015 award for the world’s 5th best startup.
