Entrepreneur UK's London 100: Popsa Built for the world from day one—Popsa leads global growth in personalised photo products

By Patricia Cullen

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Popsa
Popsa founders, Liam Houghton and Tom Cohen

Industry: e-commerce

Founded in 2016 by Liam Houghton and Tom Cohen in a Soho kitchen, Popsa had a revenue of £33.4m in 2024, a 355% growth over five years. It now serves 10 million customers in 50 countries.

Houghton's journey began in his bedroom as a teenager, teaching himself to design and code. He saw these skills as a superpower—a way to express emotion and tell stories through technology.

His leadership style reflects this ethos: empowering people creatively, hiring globally-minded thinkers, and building technology that feels personal and intuitive.

We're drowning in digital photos, but rarely do anything with them. Popsa's platform uses AI to transform a user's photos into beautiful photobooks, calendars, and keepsakes - automatically.

Popsa's use of AI to make staff more productive sets it apart. Lots of companies say AI boosts productivity. The problem is, few have the numbers to back up that claim - Popsa does. The average RPE in the UK tech industry is c. $150k. Popsa's RPE is 5 x higher at $800k and is on track to grow another 25% to hit $1m by the end of the year.

Popsa boasts a global first mindset - Popsa launched with international markets in mind.

Patricia Cullen

Features Writer

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