Phota Labs is a research and product company building personal models for visual AI.

Today's models know the world, not you. They can generate stunning images — but they can't make your moments more beautiful. And that's the hard part. Photos of you and your loved ones are deeply personal and exacting: a portrait is either you or not; a moment is either the one you remember, or it isn't.

We build visual GenAI faithful to your lived experience: true to who you are, where you were, and what you saw. These visual models learn your identity and context from your photos and work exclusively for you.

We see a future where personal visual models work seamlessly alongside your camera — whether it's in your pocket, on a tripod, or worn on your body — transforming what's captured into memories that feel more vivid, more intimate, more alive. If this mission excites you, let's build together.

Our Team

Line drawing of the Phota Labs team
  • Cecilia Zhang

    Co-founder, CEO

  • Zach Xia

    Co-founder, CTO

  • Liz Watts

    Head of Business

  • Jason Wilson

    Founding Designer

  • Carl Rice

    Founding Technical Staff

  • Mengwei Ren

    Member of Technical Staff

  • Martin Bavio

    Member of Technical Staff

  • Luan T.

    Member of Technical Staff

  • Ren Ng

    Advisor

What we believe

Your visual identity is uniquely yours

Everyone deserves a personalized visual representation built from your photos, shaped by your experiences, and true to who you are. It's yours to own, and yours to express.

For the photographer in everyone

Photography should be personal, accessible, and beautiful — not limited by skill, equipment, or circumstance. Every snapshot deserves its best expression.

More memories, less anxiety

We feel the overwhelm — endless photos, and still the doubt of whether you captured what matters. Here, you don't need to worry. We bring clarity, taste, and story back to your camera roll.

Connecting people through images

We believe photographs are meant to be shared, to spark conversations, and to bring people closer. From a single moment to a curated album, every image can be the bridge between you and others.

We're always up for meeting others who care deeply about visual tech, photography, and building tools that help people see and share more of who they are. If that's you, come say hi. We are always listening.