Timur Khabirov

Timur Neil Khabirov (born June 6, 1979) is an American entrepreneur, designer, and investor. He is the CEO and co-founder of Prequel Inc., the company behind the Prequel (mobile application) photo and video editing platform, alongside Serge Aliseenko.
Khabirov is a strong advocate for the application of Artificial intelligence and computer vision in art and graphic design, including the use of Algorithmic trading approaches to photo and video editing. This passion has been a major inspiration for the creation and development of a number of businesses based on AI technology, including Prequel and the graphics platform behind it.
In addition, Khabirov is a regular presenter at technology Conference across the world where he demonstrates and explains how AI is generating new mediums for creativity. Khabirov has been a keynote speaker at numerous events including Web Summit 2022 in Lisbon as well as Visual 1st in San Francisco, with more keynote appearances planned for 2023.
He also offers business advice in both written articles and interviews, aimed at Startup company and other Founder CEO, describing the challenges he faced when building companies and offering strategies to others about how to resolve them.
== Early life ==
Khabirov was born and raised in Tashkent, Uzbekistan into a scientific family, fuelling an early interest in mathematics, logic and design. His father was a nuclear physicist, his mother a pharmacist and author of a patent for the production of medicines.
Khabirov’s family moved to Kaliningrad, with Timur studying at the Department of Physics and Mathematics at Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University. In the final year, Khabirov switched away from the sciences and instead studied law, a decision he later regretted, but during this time he also became more personally interested in art, through painting, providing further inspiration for combining the fields of art, logic and design.
In Kaliningrad, he founded his first company in the early 2000s, focusing on logistics with the main source of business transporting trucks across Europe. 
In 2006, Khabirov moved to San Francisco, USA to become more familiar both with business in the United States and the technology industry. His first technology business in the USA was a B2B company specializing in Web development and native applications for both Microsoft Windows and MacOS, one of its major clients being American Express. In 2014 Khabirov moved away from the web and moved into mobile development.
Khabirov moved to New York City in 2009, where he now resides.
== Career ==
AiAr Labs
In 2016 Khabirov partnered with Serge Aliseenko for the first time, opening a laboratory focused on the study of computer vision, augmented reality and artificial intelligence. Together with Aliseenko they registered a US company named AiAr Labs, developing proprietary AR solutions as an outsourced contractor.
Prequel
Inspired by the growth in demand for creativity in imagery that came with a rise in personalized video sharing on social media, in 2018 Khabirov and Aliseenko founded Prequel, their second AI company, focused on using computer vision, AI algorithms and augmented reality for graphic design in a way that is completely user friendly. 
Khabirov cites a desire to make visual creativity accessible to everyone as a driving force behind Prequel. The first release version of Prequel included approximately 10 photo effects, and has since grown to include over 2000 filters, effects and templates for photo and video content.
Headquartered in New York City, Prequel has since grown to an estimated value of $350 million, with offices in Montenegro and Lisbon, Portugal.
== Personal life ==
Khabirov’s wide range of interests cover art, science and technology subjects. He’s a keen expert on astronomy and loves music. Timur has been happily married since 2012. 
Khabirov is a keen traveler, and takes great pleasure in the museums and exhibitions of New York, as well as across the USA and the wider world. He also does charity work.
Category:1979 births
Category:People from Tashkent
Category:American entrepreneurs