Runway launches $10M fund to back AI startups

Runway launched a $10M venture fund while rolling out a Builders program that offers free API credits to selected teams.

Founded as an AI video-generation platform, Runway is expanding beyond content creation with its “general world models,” which aim to power real-time, interactive, and immersive AI applications.

The new fund will invest in pre-seed and seed-stage startups, writing checks of up to $500K. The Builders program will grant startups 500,000 API credits and access to Runway’s tools, including its real-time video agent API.

Runway is targeting three areas: teams developing new AI architectures, companies building applications on top of foundation models, and startups exploring new formats of media and storytelling.

Runway has already invested in startups such as LanceDB, Tamarind Bio, and Cartesia over the past 18 months. These companies are building adjacent technologies, including AI databases and real-time audio generation, that complement Runway’s platform.

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