The Haredi Tech Team Behind Kim Kardashian’s Favorite Fashion App

Computer Vision: A New Way to Shop

In the center of Jerusalem lies the information and technology division of Screenshop, the ultimate app for online shoppers. With Screenshop, users can take screenshots of fashion products and identify similar items available for purchase online. The app has become a huge hit, with dozens of millions of users. Kim Kardashian has been on the advising team since the very early stages of the process and has been instrumental in crafting the product’s design. Here’s the surprising part: the tech team is made up of a group of ultra-Orthodox Jews.

I received a tour of the company’s building, the Bizmax business center, which functions essentially as a WeWork for Haredi men. Immediately following my tour, I learned that the company works with Kim and found myself totally bewildered.

I spoke to Molly Hurwitz, CMO and Co-Founder of Screenshop, and asked her how she understands the partnership. She replied that she sees the company’s relationship with Kim as “a Godsend story.” Throughout the company, she explains, “we all attribute our success to God, and we are thankful on a daily basis that He sent Kim to work with us.”

Unparalleled Features

Screenshop removes several stages from the ordinary shopping process; by using the app, shoppers eliminate the need to do research on their clothing. The app learns user preferences over time through its AI-powered “discover” feature. The system makes shopping simple, removing all “friction points” between consumer and supplier.

A Tightly Knit City

Screenshop’s employees are active members of the Jerusalem startup scene. Members of other startups frequent the office to receive advice from the CTO and the company’s programmers. Many of the programmers volunteer as judges at the Machon Lev Hackathon. Screenshop is also a sponsor of MadeinJLM, a non-profit that supports the Jerusalem startup ecosystem. The Bizmax business center and Screenshop are both initiatives that received funding from the Jerusalem Development Authority.

“We have offices in San Francisco and New York. And we consciously chose to have our tech division in Jerusalem,” Molly told me, attributing the motivation for doing so to the thriving computer vision scene in the city. “I believe in Jerusalem,” Molly said. After seeing the bizarre scene of a Haredi team working with Kim Kardashian, so do I; anything can happen in this city.