Sequoia India’s Surge backs AI-powered video creation platform Gan.ai with $5.2M funding

Image credit: Suvrat Bhooshan, Gan.ai Founder and CEO / Gan.ai

One study found that 91% of consumers would like to see more branded videos. Recent research Startup Wyzowl said it surveyed more than 500 respondents. Meanwhile, Google reported in 2019 that 55% of consumers used video to make purchasing decisions.

The data can be self-serving for both companies, but Wyzowl is a video production company, and Google and YouTube share a parent company, but video content is a big deal for both small and big brands. , is clearly becoming a more meaningful way to reach new customers.

The good news for brands like these is that thanks to the magic of generative AI, startups are popping up to make it easier for companies of all sizes to develop customized videos. Runway AI, for example, raised $50 million in December at a $500 million valuation to empower creatives in ways never before possible.

The San Francisco-based startup is currently work hard It is also attracting the attention of investors. The organization, which uses an AI-powered video creation platform to help brands create personalized videos, just closed after raising $5.2 million in led seed funding. By Surge, Sequoia Capital’s rapid scale-up program. Emergent Venture and other angel investors also participated in the round.

Gan.ai’s video personalization software allows brands to shoot with actors, add keywords to scripts, and send personalized videos to customers with a single click. According to Gan.ai Founder and CEO Suvrat Bhooshan, Gan.ai integrates with Shopify, Calendly, Stripe, Hubspot and Salesforce to allow users to create landing pages and shopping and payment options. Become.

Bhushan, who previously worked at Facebook AI Research (FAIR), said Gan.ai has more than 200 users, including more than 40 companies including Samsung, Zomato, Vivo and Mobile Premier League. Customers are included.

“Generative AI was never a buzzword” [in 2021]’” Bouzian told TechCrunch, but still continued: This is a huge industry, and people are keen to test new innovations that can significantly change their direct impact on bottom line. “

Gan.ai has two types of clients. The first is companies with large marketing teams, such as mobile manufacturers, food delivery companies, sports teams, mobile gaming companies, and consumer goods.

The second type of users are business professionals such as real estate agents, mortgage agents, insurance agents, and enterprise SaaS sales representatives.

Founded in 2021, the startup currently employs 35 people and makes money by charging users based on the number of videos they generate.

In addition to Runway ML, Gan.ai competes and grows with many players in the AI ​​video generator market.

According to Bhushan, most of these players fit into one of two categories. There are startups that generate fully synthetic avatar videos. Synthesia and HourOne are such startups. Others, like Gan.ai, are working on changing key variables within the actual video, he says.

The latter can be more complicated, he suggests. For example, Gan.ai works on original human videos shot by actors, and Bhushan says that even 1% differences in his voice or lip movements can be easily noticed. Also, some peers require him to train his data from 15 minutes to 2 hours, while Gan.ai takes the time required to train the data to learn each speaker’s voice and lip movements. only explains that he is 2 minutes.

Ultimately, “I want this process to be instant and real-time, without the need for additional data, to make this process really broadly available and work seamlessly, just like a text mail merge.” I think,” he says.

That seed round should help. that’s right, Bhushan says much of the company’s focus is on research and development and improving current products. If you have some money in the bank, The company also hopes to expand its “U.S. market development” team and line up more consumer brands, he added.