Exactly.ai, a generative AI platform that helps artists commercialise their work by rapidly reproducing designs at scale while retaining legal ownership over their art, has announced it has secured €4 million in seed funding.
The funding round was led by Speedinvest and supported by InReach Ventures, Cornerstone VC and GuruDev Capital, as well as a series of international angel investors and funds. The investment will enable exactly.ai to further develop its groundbreaking technology, expand its team, and increase its outreach to artists and creative professionals worldwide.
Proving that AI can help the creative arts industry thrive, exactly.ai’s unique technology enables artists to build and train their own generative AI models based on their individual artistic practice and original designs. From this they can produce high quality work at speed that authentically reflects their individual styles and unique artistic vision. These designs can then be sold or licensed to a wide range of organisations – from media outlets to ad agencies – allowing artists to capitalise on their creativity at a much faster, scalable pace.
Exactly.ai was founded in 2022 by Tonia Samsonova – a former journalist who went on to become a successful entrepreneur after securing an eight-figure exit for her Q&A platform, The Question, which was sold to Yandex, one of the biggest global competitors to Google. Driven by a lifelong passion for art, Samsonova wanted to design a platform that would reflect and support the huge diversity of artists styles and aesthetics by giving every artist the technology needed to create their own, individual version of AI rather than being restricted by the limited number and scope of models that are currently available.
Tonia Samsonova, founder and CEO of exactly.ai, said: “AI’s role in the creative industries has been hotly debated for a long time now, and understandably, many professional artists have concerns over how its growing influence will impact their creativity and their livelihoods. But we are firm believers that there is a world in which the two not only exist, but work together to produce outstanding results.”
“Our mission is not just to integrate AI into the artistic process, but to redefine the very essence of creation itself. This funding marks a pivotal moment for us – a chance to push the boundaries even further, ensuring that artists everywhere can harness the power of AI to bring their visions to life,” added Samsonova.
With the global generative AI market set to be worth $668 billion by 2030, exactly.ai is aiming to be at the forefront of its wider adoption amongst creative communities, demonstrating that a new form of collaboration between the tech and creative industries is possible and can have benefits for all. Having already amassed 30,000 registered users from across the globe, its innovative approach is set to revolutionise the way established and emerging commercial artists create, distribute, and monetise their designs.
Julian Blessin, Partner at Speedinvest, commented: “Exactly.ai represents a groundbreaking step forward for the creative arts sector. At Speedinvest, we’re always on the lookout for innovators who not only harness the power of technology but do so in a way that democratises and enriches our cultural landscape. Tonia and her team have developed a platform that does precisely that – enabling artists to embrace generative AI as a partner in their creative process. This investment is a testament to our belief in exactly.ai’s potential to redefine artistic creation and monetisation, ensuring that artists can thrive in the digital era.”
Amanda Jones Floyd, General Partner at InReach Ventures, added: “At InReach Ventures we have always been interested in the intersection of creativity and computing and what the future holds for human creativity. Exactly.ai provides us with an exciting glimpse of this future but with practical, immediate applications that can be used by creatives from across the globe to increase their productivity and income whilst retaining the rights to their work. We couldn’t be more excited to back Tonia and her team and look forward to seeing how the platform evolves.”
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2024/05/london-based-exactly-ai-raises-e4-million-to-help-artists-communities-monetise-work-at-scale/
