Exclusive: Startup raises $20 million to bring toys to life
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Nauk Nauk has raised $20 million to expand its AI video app that turns photos of toys into short animated videos, co-founder Daniel Liu tells Axios.
Why it matters: The company says it's targeting the growing market of "kidults" who want to use technology to indulge their playful side.
The big picture: Nauk Nauk is launching as free AI video-generation options become more limited, creating an opening for specialized consumer apps.
Driving the news: Nauk Nauk (pronounced knock-knock) is coming out of beta with an app that can create 15- to 20-second videos with audio or music soundtracks from a single image and a user-written prompt.
- It can also stitch multiple clips or frames into a story and turn one image into a 60-second music video.
- The resulting videos can be downloaded only after they are shared to Nauk Nauk's base users, with the goal to create a social network around shared interests.
- Videos are divided into various categories including Pokémon, Star Wars and bricks (aka Lego).
A paid Pro tier lets users create more videos and remove watermarks. Liu said the company still wants free users to be able to participate meaningfully.
- Liu said Nauk Nauk has more than 1 million users in its beta phase. He declined to name Nauk Nauk's investors or which AI models it uses, but said the company has fewer than 20 employees at this point.
What they're saying: "When we finally noticed the tech got to the point where we could literally animate our toys to life, that's when we knew we were on to something," Liu said.
The bottom line: Nauk Nauk is betting that AI-generated video can turn toy collecting from a passive hobby into a social-media activity.
