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It\u2019s never been easier to create and publish art than it is now, and if you believe the companies building tech around AI, the production process is going to get even more efficient. That\u2019s especially the case with video production, with companies of all sizes using large language models to build tools that let you whip up decent quality videos and animation with a few prompts and actions.<\/p>\n
Popular tools in this space include Google\u2019s Veo 2, OpenAI\u2019s Sora, Runway, Luma AI, and Shanghai-based Hailuo. Now, a South Korean startup called Cinamon<\/a> is ramping up efforts to claim a part of this burgeoning market \u2014 it recently raised a $8.5 million Series B round to continue building its animated video generation platform \u201cCINEV,\u201d slated to be launched in beta in the first half of 2025. Altos Venture, an existing backer, as well as Saehan Venture Capital invested in this round. <\/p>\n Cinamon\u2019s pitch is that its platform provides a video generator that can let you build 3D environments, direct scenes and actions, place characters, edit camera angles, and more \u2014 all with text prompts and sliders. <\/p>\n According to its CEO Doosun Hong, the company\u2019s approach fundamentally differs from existing AI video generators, which create videos by generating pixels using text, images and videos as reference materials. In contrast, CINEV combines a 3D asset library, AI motion generation, and a filmmaking-focused large language model to first construct 3D scenes complete with characters and elements, and then lets you edit them using its suite of video production and editing tools. <\/p>\n \u201cOur approach enables easier direction and editing without consistency\/physics issues, making it particularly suitable for longer-form content like films and dramas,\u201d Hong said. \u201cWe envision CINEV to be complementary to existing AI video tools, potentially enabling new workflows where CINEV\u2019s output could serve as high-quality reference material for other AI video platforms.\u201d<\/p>\n Cinamon started life in 2019 as Cinamon Games, a subsidiary of content production firm Vonvon. Cinamon initially set up a JV with NAVER WEBTOON<\/a>, a Korean digital storytelling platform, to create Maybe, an interactive storytelling app. Facing growing data privacy concerns, Vonvon merged with Cinamon Games later in 2019 to focus solely on storytelling in the social content space. <\/p>\n While its competitors like Crazy Maple Studio<\/a> started offering animated interactive story apps, fiction apps, storytelling apps and short-form videos, Cinamon instead chose to focus on creating 3D animation tools that could speed up and scale animation production for content creators and studios. Even though it cost more investment than tools for 2D content, they saw greater scalability potential.<\/p>\n In 2022, the startup began building its 3D animation platform, and later integrated AI features to enhance production efficiency. In September that year, South Korean gaming company Krafton, Naver Z (a unit of Korean internet giant Naver), and SNOW, (a camera app run by Naver), invested $10 million in Cinamon\u2019s Series A.<\/p>\n Going forwards, Cinamon plans to use its investors\u2019 IPs and 3D assets to bolster its offering. Krafton has substantial intellectual property and 3D assets used in its Battleground games, while Naver Z operates the Zepeto metaverse platform. Cinamon says CINEV can help extend these IPs beyond gaming by enabling content creators to use these IPs, and potentially drive user acquisition for Krafton and NaverZ. Cinamon also entered Nvidia\u2019s startup accelerator, Inception, last August<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cOur potential users include comic, manga, webtoon artists, web novel writers, game developers, video creators and traditional animators looking for easier workflows,\u201d Hong said. \u201cIn 2025, we plan to focus on customers [ranging] from individual creators to content IP companies looking for easier, faster, cheaper ways to create Anime, VTuber, and cinematic video game content.\u201d<\/p>\n Cinamon plans to use the new capital for hiring more AI engineers and for R&D. The startup has a team of 60 staff with expertise in 3D graphics, AI, gaming, and content production. This Series B brings its total capital raised so far to $18.5 million (25 billion KRW).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n