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Like.com has raised $47.0M across 3 funding rounds.
Key people at Like.com.
Like.com has raised $47.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Like.com developed and operated a pioneering visual search engine for products, specializing in fashion items such as jewelry, handbags, shoes, and watches. The platform utilized advanced computer vision technology, enabling users to find visually similar items by analyzing patterns, shapes, and colors within product images. This distinctive capability allowed for a highly intuitive search experience beyond traditional text-based queries, effectively functioning as a sophisticated price comparison service.
The company was founded by Riya, initially established to develop a facial recognition search engine. CEO Munjal Shah and CTO Burak Göktürk, who held several facial-recognition patents, recognized the broader applicability of their core computer vision technology. Launched on November 8, 2006, Like.com emerged from the insight that the same underlying algorithms used for face recognition could effectively identify and match visually similar products, transforming their initial venture into a product-focused platform.
Like.com served consumers seeking to discover and compare products across various online retailers based on visual characteristics. Its vision was to empower users to effortlessly browse for items or upload their own images:including future plans for mobile photo uploads from physical stores:to locate identical or similar products and compare prices. The company aimed to streamline product discovery and purchasing decisions by leveraging visual intelligence.
Like.com was a pioneering technology company that developed a visual search engine for products, enabling users to find and compare similar items like jewelry, handbags, shoes, and watches based on images rather than text queries.[1][2] It served online shoppers seeking price comparisons across thousands of merchants, solving the problem of imprecise text-based product searches by leveraging computer vision technology to match visually similar products, with early revenue reaching around $50 million annually.[2][4]
The company achieved significant growth, raising nearly $50 million from investors including Google, Bay Partners, BlueRun Ventures, Leapfrog Ventures, and Crosslink Capital, before being acquired by Google in 2010 for over $100 million.[1][4][6] By 2015, the site had shut down and redirected to Google's shopping search.[2]
Like.com originated from Riya, founded around 2005 by CEO Munjal Shah and CTO/co-founder Burak Göktürk, who specialized in computer vision and held patents in facial recognition.[1][2][4] Riya initially built a search engine for finding similar faces in photos but struggled with monetization, prompting a pivot: Shah realized the same technology could identify visually similar products, leading to Like.com's launch, first announced at the Web 2.0 Conference on November 8, 2006.[1][2]
Early traction came quickly, with the site indexing two million products from 200 merchants by late 2006 and planning affiliate commissions (about 10% per sale).[2] Notably, Google had nearly acquired Riya in 2005 but backed out, only to return years later for Like.com.[4]
Like.com rode the early 2000s wave of Web 2.0 and visual search trends, bridging computer vision from niche applications (like facial recognition) to mainstream e-commerce at a time when image-based shopping was emerging but underdeveloped.[1][2][4] Its timing capitalized on growing online retail and investor interest in AI-driven search, influencing giants like Google, which acquired it to bolster shopping tools amid competition from eBay's Shopping.com and others.[2][4]
The acquisition accelerated visual search integration into major platforms, paving the way for modern tools like Google Lens, and highlighted how pivots from failed ideas (Riya) could yield high-impact outcomes in the startup ecosystem.[4][6]
Like.com's story exemplifies tech pivots turning obstacles into acquisitions, but as an acquired and defunct entity by 2015, its direct operations ended—its legacy endures in Google's visual shopping features.[2][4] Looking ahead, advancements in AI and multimodal search (e.g., combining images with text) will amplify its foundational influence, shaping e-commerce amid rising demand for intuitive, vision-powered discovery. This visual pioneer reminds us how early bets on computer vision continue fueling today's trillion-dollar online retail landscape.
Like.com has raised $47.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Like.com's investors include Owl Rock Capital Partners.
Like.com has raised $47.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $32.0M Series C in July 2008.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2008 | $32M Series C | — | OWL Rock Capital Partners | Announced |
| Dec 1, 2005 | $12M Series B | — | — | Announced |
| May 1, 2005 | $3M Series A | — | — | Announced |
Key people at Like.com.
