Sydney-based Leonardo.Ai, a cutting-edge generative AI startup, has successfully secured $31 million USD in funding, with contributions from notable investors such as Blackbird, Side Stage Ventures, Smash Capital, TIRTA Ventures, Gaorong Capital, and Samsung Next. The AI art production platform, catering to both consumers and enterprise users, has experienced significant growth since its founding last year, boasting seven million users who have collectively generated over 700 million images.
Having recently introduced its enterprise version, Leonardo.Ai offers collaboration tools and the option for private cloud hosting. Enterprise users benefit from access to APIs, empowering them to construct their technology infrastructure on top of Leonardo.Ai’s platform, starting with its production API. Geared towards individuals in creative industries such as gaming, advertising, fashion, and architecture, the platform allows users to save, edit, and create multiple assets in a consistent style for reusability. Additionally, users can develop and train their own models for image generation.
The platform’s versatility extends to various use cases, such as creating storyboards for video production or crafting mockups for gaming characters. CEO and co-founder J.J. Fiasson, inspired by the launch of Google Deep Dream, delved into generative AI during his tenure at Raini Studios, a gaming studio.
Originally conceived for game asset content creation, Leonardo.Ai expanded its focus to accommodate a broader range of scenarios. The company emphasizes its commitment to supporting multiple use cases and aims to enhance its B2B offerings in the future.
Leonardo.Ai’s AI is built on open-source technologies and trained using synthetic data and Creative Commons data. What sets it apart from other generative AI art platforms like Adobe Firefly, BlueWillow, and Midjourney is the level of control it affords users. Notably, its Live Canvas feature enables users to input a text prompt and create a quick sketch, with the platform generating a photorealistic image in real time based on both text and sketch prompts.
With the newly acquired funding, Leonardo.Ai plans to expand its team, particularly in sales, marketing, and engineering, as it continues to scale its enterprise product. The company aims to strengthen its position in the market by offering users unprecedented control and utility in the realm of generative AI art.
