Fundraising Fox
Rush Roto
Techstars '23Smyrna, US · Founded 2021 · 4 employees on LinkedIn · 2 known investors
Find your way into Rush Roto
2,377 people in our graph share verified history with the Rush Roto team — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.
Rush Roto is a mobile app that uses AI to generate product photos and videos for e-commerce listings, with templates designed for online sellers. It offers a low-edit system to create marketing visuals without dedicated editing software.
Also known as Rush Roto Studio · RushRoto Studio
Founders & leadership
Rush Roto was founded in 2021 by Chris Morris.
Investors · 2
How we know: the Techstars portfolio · open dataset · Top 3000 Accelerator Startups (no YC) 2026-08 · Not right? Tell us
Company profile
researched Sep 2026Rush Roto (operating as Rush Roto Studio) is a mobile application that uses artificial intelligence to produce product photography and short product videos for e-commerce listings and social media promotion. The app lets a seller upload a single product image and composite it into generated scenes and templates, producing photos in seconds and videos in minutes, without requiring separate editing software. Core capabilities include AI image generation, background removal, a video editor, background music and designer-built templates.
The product is positioned for sellers who need to refresh listings around seasonal or thematic campaigns — for example turning one product photo into Halloween, Christmas or spring imagery. The company describes its approach as a "no to low edit" workflow aimed at users without editing skills. Rush Roto Studio's terms describe the service as an e-commerce app and a video-processing mobile application operated from offices in the USA.
Founding story
Founder Christian "Chris" Morris was developing a mixed-reality app for viewing musicians and performers in 3D and needed software that could cut a subject out from its background. His wife, who runs an Etsy shop, needed an inexpensive way to create product videos; after adjustments, the tool helped her reach the top 5 percent of sellers within six months. Morris concluded that e-commerce sellers without large Facebook or Google ad budgets, who rely on their own social posts to sell, were an underserved market for the AI technology. He put approximately $10,000 of his own money into the company before applying to growth programs. Morris taught himself app development beginning at age 15 and previously ran a recording studio in his Philadelphia neighborhood before working in app and product development for Fortune 500 companies.
Business model
Rush Roto operates a freemium subscription mobile app. A Basic tier is free and includes 30 AI image generations, 200 background-removal credits, SD photo exports, a video editor and free background music. Paid tiers add capacity and features: Maker at $14.99 per month ($12.50 per month billed annually) with 1,000 AI image generations, HD photo export, Maker AI templates and premium background music; and Mogul at $49.99 per month ($39.99 per month billed annually) with unlimited AI images, exclusive AI templates, exclusive background music and custom AI templates. Subscriptions can be cancelled at any time, with refunds limited to cancellations within three days of service.
Recurring subscription revenue from monthly and annual consumer/SMB plans, with a free tier providing limited AI generations and credits.
Traction
The company reports being selected for the AWS Impact Accelerator for Black Founders (one of 25 from thousands of applicants), acceptance into the Techstars Accelerator Powered by J.P. Morgan, and a win in the 2023 Startup302 competition. Third-party profiles list the company at 1-10 employees and pre-seed stage.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
An early-stage (pre-seed) company in the photography and e-commerce software space, with a team of fewer than ten people and keywords spanning e-commerce, ad tech, product video and business tools. It is identified as a Black-owned startup and has been highlighted by Delaware economic development organizations as a local innovator.
The company states its AI does more than replace a background: it places a product image into another scene that can be expanded into multiple campaigns within seconds, allowing a single product photo to be reused across seasonal and thematic marketing. Templates are described as created by graphic designers, marketers and advertisers, and the workflow is designed to avoid the need for expensive editing software or editing skills.
Technology
AI-based image generation and compositing that inserts a product image into generated scenes, plus background removal, template-driven design and in-app video editing with background music. The company's web presence runs on WordPress with Elementor, jQuery, Swiper, Underscore.js, WPForms, MonsterInsights, reCAPTCHA and SiteGround hosting.
Go-to-market
Distribution is through a downloadable mobile app and the company website, using a free tier and risk-free trial to acquire users who can upgrade to monthly or annual subscriptions. Visibility has been built through accelerator programs (AWS Impact Accelerator for Black Founders, Techstars Accelerator Powered by J.P. Morgan) and pitch and startup competitions including Startup302, which the founder says lend legitimacy and help funding applications get reviewed.
Small and mid-sized e-commerce sellers, hobbyists and solopreneurs with tight margins and limited advertising budgets who depend on their own social media posts to sell products, including marketplace sellers such as Etsy shop owners.
Geography
US-based, with listings citing Dover and Smyrna, Delaware. The company states that its service is controlled, operated and administered from offices within the USA, while users may access it internationally subject to local law.
History
The company was founded in 2021 and is associated with Dover and Smyrna, Delaware. In 2022, roughly a year after founding, it was selected as one of 25 startups in the inaugural AWS Impact Accelerator for Black Founders, receiving $125,000 in cash, $100,000 in AWS credits and training at Amazon's Seattle headquarters, with founder Chris Morris and co-founder/CTO David Asbery attending. The company was later selected into the Techstars Accelerator Powered by J.P. Morgan, which included a $120,000 equity investment, and was a winner in the Delaware Prosperity Partnership's 2023 Startup302 competition in the Delaware Tech-Enabled category. The founder has also placed second in a New York pitch competition and participated in startup communities in Delaware, Washington D.C., New York City and Philadelphia.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 3
launches, deals, and filingsRush Roto placed in the Delaware Tech-Enabled category of the 2023 Startup302 competition run by the Delaware Prosperity Partnership.
Rush Roto joined the Techstars Accelerator Powered by J.P. Morgan, which included a $120,000 equity stake in the company.
$120K source ↗
Rush Roto was chosen as one of 25 startups in the inaugural AWS Impact Accelerator for Black Founders, receiving a $125,000 cash prize, $100,000 in AWS credits and in-person training at Amazon headquarters in Seattle.
$125K source ↗
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Rush Rotorushrotostudio.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Rush Roto do?
- Mobile app using AI to turn a single product photo into e-commerce product photos and videos for small online sellers.
- Who founded Rush Roto?
- Rush Roto was founded by Chris Morris in 2021.
- Who are Rush Roto's investors?
- Rush Roto's investors include Nex Cubed, Techstars.
- Where is Rush Roto headquartered?
- Rush Roto is headquartered in Smyrna, US.