$0 to $50M ARR in Five Months: Alex (Higgsfield AI)

Founder & CEO @ Higgsfield AI

From US$0 to US$50M ARR in just five months (and cashflow positive), Higgsfield AI hit numbers rarely seen, even in the AI era. For CEO and Founder Alex Mashrabov, this breakout success was years in the making.

A former Snap Inc. product leader in Generative AI and co-founder of AI Factory (acquired by Snap in 2019), Alex helped create the viral face filters and Cameos that defined a generation of digital expression.

Today, he’s pushing boundaries again - this time, turning generative video into the next creative medium.

In this conversation, Alex shares how he thinks about product readiness, differentiation in a crowded field, and the discipline behind scaling one of the fastest-growing AI companies in the world.

Q: You’ve shared that the name “Higgsfield” comes from physics. What’s the story behind it?

Alex: We named the company Higgsfield because, in physics, particles that pass through the Higgs field gain mass.

If you think about today’s internet - we live in an attention economy. Videos are what have mass. They’ve become the language of the internet.

So, the idea is: ideas that pass through the Higgsfield platform gain mass - they transform into videos that capture attention. It’s both a metaphor and a mission statement.

And it works on another level too. The best AI companies attract polymaths - physicists, engineers, storytellers. We’ve built a team united by that idea of transforming creative energy into impact.

Q: Tell us about your journey leading up to Higgsfield - what were the experiences that shaped you as a builder?

Alex: Both my parents are engineers - my mother designed rockets for the Soviet space program - so I grew up around engineering and started programming at 10.

At 20, I was ranked among the top three in the world in competitive programming.

I co-founded AI Factory, where we built neural networks that could run directly on mobile devices - something no one else had at the time. Snap acquired us, and that tech became the backbone of Snapchat’s face filters.

That experience taught me how AI, creativity, and distribution intersect. It’s not about the fanciest algorithm; it’s about delivering magic instantly, at scale. That philosophy directly informs Higgsfield.

Q: Higgsfield hit 11M users and US$50M ARR within only five months. How did you decide the product was ready - and what drove such rapid adoption?

Alex: We started in 2023. The first year was pure iteration - testing, failing, re-architecting. Our investors were patient; we kept asking one question: what truly works for users?

We began on mobile, but realized generative AI doesn’t change the economics of mobile apps - high churn, small ticket sizes, limited expansion.

The real inflection point came when we shifted to desktop and targeted creative professionals - social-media managers, content teams, ad creators. We also built over 100 cinematic templates with pre-defined camera controls.

That made videos not just realistic, but cinematic. Once that went live, traction exploded.

We also built a culture of velocity. We ship fast - sometimes four or more feature releases per week, occasionally even one per day. Whenever a new state-of-the-art model dropped, we integrated it within 24 hours. Customers learned they could trust Higgsfield to always have the latest, best-performing AI. That consistency and shipping rhythm compounded growth.

Q: The AI video and content generation space is getting crowded - from model players to application-layer startups. In such a fast-moving landscape, what’s a durable way to differentiate Higgsfield? And do you think success depends on being the loudest player?

Alex: We have to start with an acknowledgment that the video AI space is still early. If you look at more mature domains like search or coding, we already see clear examples of winners that succeeded by quickly implementing the best models into user workflows. That’s the same strategy we follow at Higgsfield, and I hope we execute it even better.

At the same time, we recognize that the economics of generative AI companies are challenging. Gross margins aren’t like traditional SaaS - they’re well below 80–90%. That’s why growth and efficient user acquisition are critical to offset this profile. Cheap acquisition only happens when you stay on top of people’s minds - when you’re one of the loudest players.

So yes, product quality comes first, but you can’t ignore GTM. Being visible matters. It’s why we’ve focused on pairing strong distribution with relentless product velocity. I’m also proud that Higgsfield is already cashflow positive, proving that it’s possible to grow fast, stay disciplined, and build a durable business even in a noisy market.

Q: Higgsfield is growing fast yet already cashflow positive. How is that possible, and how do you think about sustaining growth while managing churn?

Alex: It surprises many people, but our cashflow positivity is a function of both timing and efficiency. The number of people who need generative video tools will likely grow a hundredfold from where it is today. Organically, people are searching for ways to make videos with AI because it’s 100x cheaper and faster than physical production.

Higgsfield today has more reach across social media than all our competitors combined. That reach compounds - it strengthens our brand, draws in new users, and lowers acquisition costs. We also work closely with AI educators and creators, who act as natural distribution channels for us.

Of course, this is still an experimentation stage. Some users subscribe, cancel, and then return months later as product quality improves. Larger enterprises still lack clear policies for video AI use, so many professionals buy out of pocket.

But the pace of progress is extraordinary - we’ve made more in the last nine months than the previous nine years of AI video combined. And as quality and utility improve, churn will normalize. We’re building for a future where most videos on social media are AI-generated, and that expanding market keeps us focused and profitable.

Q: With such fast growth, how do you think about team size and structure as you scale?

Alex: First and foremost, our team is highly differentiated. We’ve built on the “996” culture - intense, fast, and deeply committed. Generative AI is creating entirely new go-to-market models and unit economics, and the only way to stay ahead is to ship constantly.

We release product updates almost every day - typically between four and seven feature releases a week, with one new release on most weekdays. This rhythm keeps us learning faster than anyone else in the space, and that’s unlikely to change.

As we mature, we’re expanding beyond engineering and product into operations, finance, accounting, legal, and sales. Our first salesperson actually started earlier today - a milestone for us as we evolve from pure product velocity toward structured growth.