Generative AI studio Promise has landed a strategic investment and partnership with Google’s AI Futures Fund, joined by Michael Ovitz‘s Crossbeam Venture Partners.
Peter Chernin’s The North Road Company, already a co-lead investor in Promise, is adding additional capital, along with returning backer Offline Ventures. Kivu Ventures and Saga Ventures are also part of the new funding round. Notable angel investors in Promise include Emery Wells, founder of Frame.io, and Aaron Levie, founder and CEO of Box.
Andreessen Horowitz is a co-lead investor in Promise, which launched last November.
The Google partnership will enable the company to integrate today’s newest AI technologies into its proprietary technology platform, MUSE. Promise, which makes production pipeline and workflow software, will also collaborate with DeepMind researchers and Google’s AI teams to “push the boundaries of AI-driven creative expression,” as a press release put it.
“Promise is one of the most forward-thinking studios we’ve encountered — operating on the leading edge of what’s creatively possible with generative AI,” said Jonathan Silber, Co-Founder & Director, AI Futures Fund at Google. “Their work with models like Gemini and Veo is helping demonstrate how this technology can enhance cinematic storytelling and unlock new creative frontiers — making this partnership a powerful example of what’s possible.”
The emerging company has been a presence in recent days at the Cannes Film Festival. Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Dave Clark made an appearance at the fest and showing glimpses of film projects NinjaPunk and Extinction and talking about how Promise sees AI meshing with traditional filmmaking.
“Since our launch last year, we’ve made tremendous progress in building a studio where imagination, artistry, and GenAI technology come together,” George Strompolos, Co-Founder and CEO of Promise, said in a statement about the new funding. “We’re fortunate to have investors who believe in the path we’re forging and the possibilities of this new era.”
Ovitz said, “The future of cinematic storytelling belongs to those who respect the art of filmmaking—and who don’t just use new tools, but invent them to redefine what’s possible on screen. The team at Promise gets that, and that’s why I’m excited about George, Dave, and Jamie and what they are building.”
Promise’s original content slate spans animation, sci-fi, horror, and fantasy, with multiple projects under way. Production on the studio’s first feature-length film is set to begin this year. Along with production, the company is also providing GenAI training and education for the creative community, recently acquiring top GenAI film school Curious Refuge.
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