Cinamon, a South Korean startup initially founded as Cinamon Games in 2019, is set to transform the landscape of 3D animation. Emerging as a subsidiary of content production firm Vonvon, Cinamon has evolved to focus on creating cutting-edge 3D animation tools. These tools promise to enhance the production efficiency for content creators and studios globally. In 2022, the company began developing its 3D animation platform, later integrating AI features to further streamline the animation process.
Cinamon's journey took a significant turn when it established a joint venture with NAVER WEBTOON, a prominent Korean digital storytelling platform, to create "Maybe," an interactive storytelling app. With a vision to revolutionize animation, Cinamon's platform offers a video generator that allows users to construct 3D environments, direct scenes and actions, and edit camera angles using simple text prompts and sliders. This innovation is poised to make animation more accessible and efficient for creators.
The company's CEO, Doosun Hong, highlights the unique nature of Cinamon’s approach compared to existing AI video generators. Cinamon's platform, CINEV, combines a comprehensive 3D asset library with AI motion generation and a filmmaking-focused large language model. This combination enables the construction of intricate 3D scenes complete with characters and various elements.
“Our potential users include comic, manga, webtoon artists, web novel writers, game developers, video creators and traditional animators looking for easier workflows,” – Hong
Cinamon's innovative offerings are supported by a team of 60 experts specializing in 3D graphics, AI, gaming, and content production. The company's growth trajectory has been bolstered by strategic investments. In September 2019, South Korean gaming giant Krafton, alongside Naver Z and SNOW, invested $10 million in Cinamon’s Series A funding round. More recently, Cinamon successfully raised $8.5 million in a Series B funding round to continue developing its animated video generation platform, CINEV. This latest round brings Cinamon's total capital raised to an impressive $18.5 million (equivalent to 25 billion KRW).
With plans to utilize its investors’ intellectual properties and 3D assets, Cinamon aims to strengthen its offerings further. The company intends to allocate the new capital towards hiring additional AI engineers and investing in research and development. Additionally, Cinamon has recently joined Nvidia’s startup accelerator program, Inception, further positioning itself at the forefront of technological advancements.
“Our approach enables easier direction and editing without consistency/physics issues, making it particularly suitable for longer-form content like films and dramas,” – Hong
Looking ahead, Cinamon plans to launch its CINEV platform in beta during the first half of 2025. The company's innovative approach promises to cater to a diverse range of users including comic creators, game developers, and traditional animators, all seeking streamlined workflows.
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