Yinhan Liu, a natural language processing expert who sold a startup earlier this year, is setting off on another entrepreneurial journey with LeyLine, a Seattle-based company building AI-powered production tools for creative professionals.
The company’s software integrates with computer graphic applications used by video production studios.
“We provide highly optimized generative AI models through our API to automate time-consuming workflows, such as converting images to 3D assets and smoothing frame-by-frame animations,” Liu said. “While these tasks traditionally required significant time, our proprietary models can now automate them for our customers.”
The software also helps with storyboarding and creating low-resolution 3D models from 2D images. LeyLine uses a combination of its own proprietary AI systems and third-party models.
Leyline is working with early customers and plans to generate revenue later this year.
The company also runs a talent marketplace, connecting studios with artists and other freelancers.
Liu previously co-founded BirchAI, a Seattle startup that streamlined customer support for healthcare companies. The company, which spun out of Seattle’s Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, was acquired in March by healthcare tech company Sagility.
Before founding BirchAI, Liu worked at Facebook, where she was first author of a study on a now widely-used deep learning model, called RoBERTa.
Liu co-founded LeyLine with Suzan Su, a longtime film industry exec and producer with expertise in computer graphics. Su is based in China. The company’s third co-founder is Qiushi Powers, a former banker and corporate exec.
LeyLine recently raised a seed investment led by Primavera Venture Partners. The amount raised was not disclosed. Other backers include Taihill Venture; SternHill; and Amir Husain, founder of AI startup SparkCognition. Liu previously was a research scientist at SparkCognition, which reached a $1 billion valuation in 2022.
LeyLine has 17 employees across Seattle, Europe, and Asia.
https://ift.tt/DJfu3bO July 03, 2024 at 02:13PM GeekWire
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