Viggle AI raises $19 million in funding for its AI video generator

Viggle AI, a startup with a popular video generation service of the same name, today announced the closing of a $19 million investment.

The Series A round was led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from Two Small Fish. Toronto-based Viggle AI will invest the capital in product development and growth initiatives.

Viggle AI, officially WarpEngine Canada Inc., was founded in 2022 by CEO Hang Chu. Previously, he was a principal scientist in Autodesk Inc.’s machine learning lab and previously worked at Nvidia Corp. Viggle AI provides a generative artificial intelligence service that allows users to create short clips of natural language prompts.

To use the service, consumers must upload an image and a snippet of text detailing how they want the image to be animated. Alternatively, they can replace the snippet of text with a video showing the motion they want to portray in the animation. Viggle AI uses a custom base model called JST-1 to automatically convert the uploaded assets into a short video.

There are several other services on the market that offer similar features. According to Viggle AI, what sets JST-1 apart is that the model has a “real understanding of physics.” The company says this feature allows the AI ​​to generate more realistic character movements than competing neural networks.

Viggle AI has built an installed base of more than four million users since releasing its service. Creative professionals rely on the software to create proof-of-concept animations during the prototyping phase of their projects, while hobbyists can use Viggle AI to create clips that would otherwise require a significant amount of time to create.

The company monetizes the service through a paid Pro tier that offers higher usage limits for $9.99 per month. To expand its market presence, Viggle AI will use its new funding to launch a Creator Program that will give participants a Pro subscription and credits for video creation. The company also promises early access to new features.

Other priorities for Viggle AI include expanding its workforce and improving the AI ​​that powers its video generation service. According to TechCrunchThe company is planning upgrades that will make it easier to create more sophisticated clips.

Viggle AI competes in a crowded market. OpenAI and Runway AI Inc., the According to reports in the process of raising a new $450 million round, also offer video generation models. Smaller competitors such as Hotshot, the debuted The launch of the latest video generation model, unveiled last week, also adds to the competition in the market.

Animating images is not the only use case that video generation models support. In July, Stability AI Ltd. introduced Stable Video 4D, a neural network that can take a short clip as input and automatically change the camera angle. It is able to recreate a video from eight new perspectives in about 40 seconds.

AI video generators are also increasingly finding applications outside of creative workflows. Covariant Inc., a venture-backed industrial automation company, detailed a video generation model called RFM-1 in March. The model helps the company’s robotic arms plan the best course of action to perform tasks, such as moving a box from one conveyor belt to another.

Photo: Unsplash