Disrupting visual shopping starts with teaching computers to “see”
Netra uses image recognition to improve search and discovery
Richard W. Lee, Netra founder and CEO, says he likes to work with doers, believers, dreamers and rule breakers.
In other words, like attracts like.
Netra — which “helps make sense of the tsunami of imagery in the world” — landed a spot as one of three finalists in the Shop.org Digital Commerce Startup of the Year competition.
Richard believes that virtual and augmented reality will replace computers and mobile as the primary medium for consuming and interacting with media over the next three to five years. That will mean big changes in how we search and shop — and Netra stands primed to help improve search and discovery.
What makes your offering unique?
Netra is unique in our ability to recognize objects in the “real world,” whether that’s in a crowded photo, streaming video or through a mobile phone camera. Netra’s software can tell a brand whether a consumer has posted a photo or video of their product and can help that consumer purchase that product (or something visually similar). Our models and algorithms run in the cloud, so our partners can access our solution via simple APIs.
What does being named a finalist in the Shop.org Digital Commerce Startup of the Year mean to you personally?
It’s a huge honor for Netra to be considered for this award and a strong validation for what we’re building. I’ve been passionately focused on retail innovation for as long as I can remember, so I’m excited to be presenting to an audience that’s equally interested in innovation.
How do you define a “disrupter” in retail?
I would define a retail disrupter as a person or company that creates a new and improved shopping experience for consumers. There are so many facets of retail related to this, from selection to search and discovery, consumer reviews to checkout, and ultimately, post-sales support. The common thread for disrupters is that they often run counter to the status quo and aren’t afraid to take risks for a huge potential impact. They ultimately build a solution with the end consumer experience in mind.
What surprises have you encountered since founding Netra?
The biggest surprise was realizing how hard it is to teach computers to “see.” While computers can solve the most difficult calculus or physics problem in milliseconds, they can struggle with a fairly simple task of differentiating between a cat or a dog (something my three year old can do with ease). Not sure why I was so surprised. If this were easy, the issue would have been solved years ago!
What’s the most important thing others can learn from startups?
I’ve worked at both big companies (Gillette, P&G) and small companies (Netra) so I’ve seen the full spectrum. The biggest learning is that major disruption always starts small and can come from anywhere. One of the most impactful things we did at Gillette was to set up a dedicated Innovations group to “test and learn” with external partners, placing lots of small bets and working with small startups to stay at the forefront of innovation.
To what do you attribute the recent explosion of digital media?
Technologically speaking, advancements in cameras and lenses, digital storage and Internet bandwidth have been the primary drivers of the explosion of imagery. There are 5 billion smartphones in the world that can shoot high-definition video, store thousands of pictures and videos and upload to the Web — and it can all fit right in my pocket. Psychologically speaking, consumers have always had an innate need for expression and community. The technology advancement has made creating and distributing media so easy that consumers upload 3.25 billion photos a day to the top five social networks. It’s a trend that we don’t see slowing down in the near future.
Quick Takes
Rapid-fire questions for Richard W. Lee
Our startup’s biggest challenge right now is … maintaining focus.
The last thing I bought online was … a few non-iron dress shirts for this trip!
My favorite thing to photograph is … my two children (three and five). I literally have thousands of photos and videos on my phone of them and probably tens of thousands in cloud storage. Having that much media also served as the pain point Netra’s solution aims to solve.
I’m inspired by … innovation and the people that are driving innovation everywhere.
The future of retail is … visual shopping.
The best part of my job is … working with innovative, forward-looking partners who are interested in reinventing commerce.
The best advice I ever received was … work on something you love and you never feel like you’re ever working (from my co-founder, who I think co-opted from someone else).
Want to learn more about the disrupters of today — and tomorrow? Don’t miss Retail’s Digital Summit from Shop.org, featuring insights from Google, Shinola Detroit, Sephora, Land’s End, Stitch Fix and more, Sept. 26–28 in Dallas.
