Since its inception in 2015, Keymakr has been dedicated to researching the finest data annotation tools for computer vision applications. What began as a humble startup has grown into a global organization with four offices worldwide and a team of over 400 in-house annotators. After experimenting with several data annotation platforms, the company decided to develop their own — the Keylabs data annotation platform, which excels in video annotation projects.
Interview with Michael Abramov, CEO of Keylabs.
Easy Engineering: Which are the most futuristic products / solutions from your portfolio?
Michael Abramov: In the AI domain, we handle numerous groundbreaking projects for our clients. However, these projects are confidential due to NDAs, and we cannot disclose specifics. Still, we see ourselves as catalysts for global change. Our solution architect department continually seeks the most efficient ways to minimize the resources a project consumes and expedite its real-world implementation. But the underlying mission remains: ensuring that our workflows are not just efficient, but also highly accurate. In many projects, precision is a matter of life and death.
E.E: Tell us about the company’s long-term goals / prospects?
M.A: In 10 years the company will be publicly traded on the stock exchange.
E.E: Tell us about product innovation and how does it impact the future?
M.A: Being entrenched in the data annotation domain since 2015 and successfully executing over 1500 projects, we believe in blending of automation with human expertise. Our experiences have honed our foresight, allowing us to envision the future of data annotation as a harmonious integration provided by KeyMakr’s service component and KeyLabs’ tool component, named as KeySmart Annotation. This melds top-tier automated techniques with the most effective Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) scenarios in data validation. As a result, we’re not only more agile than many of our competitors but also as strategic as the best in the market. Those venturing into the data annotation landscape will find it challenging to rival our human resources and domain expertise.
E.E: What’s moving your company forward?
M.A: Our motivation stems from the tangible impact we make on the future. We assist both emerging startups and established corporations in bringing their most audacious ideas to reality. At the core of our mission is the delivery of high-quality data. We recognize the critical importance of these datasets in numerous projects. The stakes are high, especially in sectors like automotive, medicine, and security, where the implications can be as consequential as life and death.
E.E: How do employees shape your company’s future?
M.A: Our employees are Keymakr & Keylabs’ greatest strength. Since the post-COVID era, the team has expanded threefold, propelling the company’s growth and setting it on a trajectory that will take us even further by next year. One of the cornerstones of this success is the deep trust and belief we place in every team member. Our robust R&D department consistently introduces and refines new features, rolling out updates almost twice a month. Moreover, our adept solution architects and CSM team go the extra mile to ensure our clients receive exceptional service at every stage.
Of significant note is our extensive team of over 400 in-house data annotators. Unlike many competitors, we’ve segmented our teams, specializing them for specific industries. Take waste management projects as an example: training a team to classify and label waste items accurately is no small feat. Given our extensive involvement in such projects, we’ve dedicated a specific team to ensure our clients can expect high accuracy without incurring additional time or costs. And consider our data annotators with expertise in radiology — how many data annotation companies can boast of such specialized talent?
But at the heart of it all, our team’s unified belief in our mission and purpose is what truly drives us.
E.E: How does the digital transformation affect your products / business?
M.A: Rather than being impacted by digital transformation, we’re leading it. We constantly strive to outpace the changes to maintain our market leadership. As mentioned earlier, our R&D department remains vigilant, engaging with our clients and partners to ensure our Keylabs platform remains top-tier. It’s a challenge to find a video annotation tool that outperforms ours. Truly.
E.E: Tell us about the company’s future strategies and how will you adapt to the future.
M.A: We remain optimistic about the future, envisioning humanity’s evolution towards excellence across all sectors. Our mission is to anticipate these changes, ensuring we deliver the highest quality labeled datasets. Moreover, our active participation in various social impact projects showcases our commitment to steering humanity towards a brighter future. To that end, we’re poised to overcome any challenges, with plans to expand our team, accelerate our operations, and grow our revenue.
E.E: How do you think the future will look like in your field of activity?M.A: The future of data annotation is marked by evolution rather than obsolescence. The industry is pivoting from basic data annotation to a more sophisticated approach, which we call KeySmart Annotation. This methodology marries the efficiency of automated techniques with the expertise of human-in-the-loop scenarios, signaling a transformative phase for the realm of data annotatio