HOMI AI, a South Korean generative AI startup, has successfully raised seed funding from Hustle Fund, a prominent Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm. The investment, structured as a SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) with a post-money valuation cap of 7 million USD (approximately 10 billion KRW), marks a significant milestone for the company as it gears up for global expansion.

HOMI AI is currently developing a generative AI framework that allows intuitive image creation and editing on a graphical user interface (GUI) without requiring text prompts. Instead, users can generate and edit images based on drawings or other visual inputs.

At the core of HOMI AI’s technology is a Transformer-Diffusion framework based on Bridge Diffusion theory. This proprietary technology has been accepted at ECCV 2024 (European Conference on Computer Vision), garnering significant attention from both academia and the industry. HOMI AI is the first company in the world to commercialize this theory in a practical framework, enabling features such as real-time previews and image generation with optional text prompts.

With this latest funding, HOMI AI plans to accelerate both its technology development and its entry into the U.S. market. The company is actively recruiting local talent in Silicon Valley and forming strategic partnerships, while also engaging in follow-up discussions with major global investors including Plug and Play.

“Hustle Fund’s investment marks a significant milestone, validating our technology and market potential on an international stage,” said Taeyoon Kim, CEO of HOMI AI. “Our goal is not merely to build an image-generation tool, but to create the next-generation creative platform that allows anyone to visually express their intent with precision. We aim to usher in an era where global creators can bring their imaginations to life without barriers.”