Rajan Vaish

Rajan Vaish is the co-founder, CEO, and Chief Product Officer of Easel AI, Inc. He possesses over 10 years of experience in product development, specializing in artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and smart glasses. As a founding member of Snapchat's Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) team, he led the development of multiple AI- and AR-based social and creative products that served millions of users. Rajan was also a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University, focusing on employing HCI and crowdsourcing technologies to solve open-ended complex objectives. His research and product work have resulted in more than 50 patents, over 50 academic papers, and several high-impact products. Beyond academic and corporate achievements, he has led multiple global research projects and educational programs, significantly advancing the integration of technology and society.

• 2023–Present·Easel AI, Inc.·Co-Founder/CEO/Chief Product Officer
  • Developed the AI-powered social chat application Easel, aimed at enhancing social experiences through AI avatars and augmented reality.
  • Raised $2.65 million in venture capital funding and established partnerships with companies like Google, NVIDIA, and AWS.
  • Led the development of B2C and B2B products, including fashion try-ons, ad generation, and AI lab APIs.
• 2016–2022·Snapchat (Snap Inc.)·Senior Research Scientist
  • Designed and led multiple social products based on augmented reality (AR) and smart glasses.
  • Managed the full product lifecycle, including design, development, user experience research, and A/B testing.
  • Secured more than 50 patents, making significant contributions to Snapchat's AR social features.
• 2012–2016·Stanford University·Postdoctoral Researcher
  • Co-created the world's first open online research lab, Crowd Research Initiative, involving over 1,500 participants across 6 continents.
  • Developed Daemo, a crowdsourcing marketplace platform, advancing research and practices for self-governed crowdsourcing mechanisms.

• 2009–2016·Stanford University·Ph.D.
  • Major: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI); research focused on the design and implementation of crowdsourcing and open research labs.
• 2007–2009·University of California, Santa Cruz·M.S.
  • Major: Computer Science

• Authored over 50 academic papers (including 3 award-winning papers) and secured more than 50 patents in AI and augmented reality.
• Spearheaded the development of high-impact products, including Easel and Snapchat's AR social features.
• As a leader in academia and entrepreneurship, advanced the integration of technology and society through education, research, and innovation.