Creating and publishing art than art was never easy, and if you think that there is a company that builds technology around AI, the production process will increase more efficiently. This is especially true for video production. You can use a large language model to build a tool that can fill a good quality video and animation with some prompts and actions.
Popular tools in this space include Google’s Veo 2, Openai Sora, Runway, Luma AI and Shanghai -based Hailuo. Now, a Korean startup called CINAMON is making efforts to claim part of the rapid growth market. We have raised $ 8.5 million in Series B rounds to continue to build an animated video generation platform “Cinev”, which is scheduled to be released in beta. In the first half of 2025. Existing patrons, Altos Venture and Saehan Venture Capital, have invested in this round.
CINAMON’s pitch provides a video generator that allows the platform to use text prompt and sliders to edit 3D environments, direct scenes and tasks, character placement, and angle of the camera.
According to the CEO Doosun Hong, the company’s approach is fundamentally different from the existing AI video generator, and this video generator creates a pixel using text, images, and videos as a reference data to create a video. In contrast, CINEV can combine 3D asset library, AI motion creation and film production -oriented large language model to complete the first 3D scene with characters and elements, then edit using video production and editing tools.
HONG said, “Our approach is especially suitable for longer formats such as movies and dramas, enabling easier directions and editing without consistency/physical problems. “We expect CineV to complement existing AI video tools, enabling new workflows that can serve as high -quality reference data for CineV’s output.”
CINAMON started its life in 2019 with Cinamon Games, a subsidiary of content production company VONVON. CINAMON first established JV with the Korean digital storytelling platform NAVER Webtoon to create a interactive storytelling app, Mayble. VONVON has merged with CINAMON Games in late 2019, focusing on more and more data personal information protection issues, focusing only on storytelling of social contents space.
Competitors such as Crazy Maple Studio have started offering animated interactive story apps, novel apps, storytelling apps and short format videos, but CINAMON instead can increase and expand animation production for content creators and studios. I focused on making. It costs more investment than the tools of 2D content, but more expansion is.
In 2022, startups began to build a 3D animation platform and later integrated the AI function to improve production efficiency. In September of that year, Korean game companies Krafton, NAVER Z (Korea Internet Giant NAVER) and SNOW (Camera Apps operated by NAVER) invested $ 10 million in Cinamon Series A.
In the future, CINAMON plans to strengthen offering using investors’ IP and 3D assets. Krafton has significant intellectual property and 3D assets used in battlefield games, and NAVER Z operates the Zepeto MetaVerse platform. CINAMON says CINEV can allow content creators to use these IPs so that they can expand these IPs beyond the game and potentially induce user acquisition of Krafton and NAVERZ. CINAMON also entered NVIDIA’s startup accelerator Inception in August.
“Our potential users include cartoons, cartoons, webtoon artists, webtoon artists, game developers, video creators and traditional animators looking for an easier workflow. “In 2025, we plan to focus on customers (scope), which is easy to create, fast, fast, and cheap, from individual producers to content IP companies.”
Cinamon plans to hire more AI engineers and use new capital for R & D. Startups have 60 employees with expertise in 3D graphics, AI, games and content production. This series B has brought a total capital to $ 18.5 million (25 billion KRW).
