Today’s advertising landscape is incredibly diverse. Some ads focus purely on product specs, others rely on catchy jingles to drill brand names into your memory. Then there are the storytelling ads—you know the ones—featuring exotic travel destinations, sweeping nature scenes, or expansive shots of outer space. But what if there’s a more emotionally compelling way to connect with audiences?

Enter Haniverse, a startup creating “AI miniature content” that brings “tiny worlds hidden inside everyday objects” to life. Founded in May by CEO Oh Han-byul—a graduate of Hongik University’s Graduate School of Film and an AI creator—the company has already made serious waves despite being just two months old.

Check out Haniverse’s Instagram (@haniverse_00) and you’ll find roughly 40 pieces of content that regularly rack up tens to hundreds of millions of views. The most viral piece? A staggering 120 million views. The account itself has blown past 260,000 followers. How did they pull this off?

Haniverse uses miniature concepts to show the care and craft that goes into making products. It’s hard to imagine a more effective way for brands to communicate “we pour our hearts into what we make.” Maybe that’s why Haniverse’s content feels both calm and dynamic, intricate yet warm—qualities that help explain those jaw-dropping view counts.

But here’s the thing: making something small doesn’t automatically make it popular. CEO Oh explains their philosophy: “We start by understanding a brand’s core values, then figure out what emotional thread connects those values to consumers. Once we’ve identified that connection, we craft stories and visuals using AI that bring it to life.” The miniature format is just the vessel, AI is just the tool—what really matters is the values, the story, and the emotional resonance.

This approach is clearly working. Haniverse has already partnered with major corporations including Nongshim (Shin Ramyun Toowoomba), GS E&C (Maple Xi), and American watch brand INVICTA. Small and medium businesses are also reaching out, with international inquiries actually outnumbering domestic ones. Just over two months in, revenue is approaching $70,400 USD (100 million KRW). CEO Oh plans to scale by supplying “AI miniature” content to more companies, ad agencies, and creative studios. Beyond production and distribution, the company is expanding its revenue streams through licensing and platform exposure deals.

Since launching, Haniverse has been selected for support by the Gyeonggi Content Agency‘s Pangyo Gyeonggi Culture Creation Hub, gaining access to founder networking, business development resources, and investment connections. They’ve also been chosen for Content Korea Lab Gyeonggi’s regional content production program and are currently creating short-form content featuring Suwon Hwaseong Fortress. With this interview, they’re kicking off their first fundraising round. The dream? Go global while staying true to the unique “AI miniature” concept and continuing to push creative boundaries.

There’s buzz in Silicon Valley lately about “solo unicorns”—one-person or tiny teams that leverage exceptional talent to reach unicorn status. Could Haniverse, backed by Pangyo Hub’s support, become one of them? We’re excited to see if Haniverse can carve out its own universe in the global content and advertising markets.

What problem is Haniverse solving?

We see advertising and media content getting trapped in increasingly provocative and repetitive patterns. Too much content prioritizes information dumps over emotional connection, leaving brands unable to convey their real philosophy or feeling.

And while AI technology is hot right now, most applications barely scratch the surface—staying at the tech demo level without tapping into content’s creative and emotional potential. We’re tackling this head-on by combining AI with imagination to create a new visual language.

Our “tiny worlds within everyday objects” concept lets us turn brand values and stories into emotional visual experiences. We want people to see familiar objects in completely new ways and build genuine emotional bridges between brands and audiences.

How does Haniverse solve this?

We’ve developed a unique “AI miniature” approach that combines AI image generation (Stable Diffusion, Midjourney, etc.) with advanced video production. We turn everyday objects into vast landscapes where tiny people live and work. Instead of just showing products or messages, we transform them into immersive experiences that deliver emotional narratives and visual delight simultaneously.

We play with scale to make viewers see ordinary things from extraordinary perspectives. Picture tiny craftspeople brewing coffee inside a coffee machine, or miniature artisans precisely assembling watch components.

This goes way beyond visual tricks—it’s a powerful way to metaphorically communicate the care and philosophy behind products. We’re constantly experimenting with new ways to make brand values stick in memorable, meaningful ways.

What services does Haniverse offer?

Our core offering is “AI miniature content”—a totally new video format. We blend AI image generation tools with video creation and editing to craft cinematic scenes of imaginary miniature people living inside real-world objects.

We’ve produced over 40 AI miniature pieces so far, mostly shared on Instagram (@haniverse_00), where they’ve generated over 140 million total views. We’ve moved well past proof-of-concept into real MVP territory, with strong user engagement and actual brand partnership offers rolling in.

Right now we’re working with brands like Nongshim, GS E&C, and Invicta on commercial projects—essentially beta testing our concept at scale and proving market viability.

We’re also expanding beyond ads into original IP animation and media art, solidifying our position as a leading AI miniature video content company.

What makes Haniverse different from competitors?

While more teams are getting into AI content creation, we stand out by focusing on emotional depth and brand fit, not just technical showmanship.

First, we’ve built a distinctive creative universe around “AI miniature” that cleverly exploits scale differences. We’re not just generating images or clips—we’re crafting short films with real narrative and meticulous direction.

Second, we bring serious brand communication chops to the table. We dig into brand philosophy, product personality, and target audience emotions to custom-design miniature worlds that create genuine impact and empathy—not just ads.

Third, our distribution strategy is proven. We’ve optimized for short-form platforms and the results speak for themselves: 260,000+ Instagram followers and 140 million+ views. These are the highest numbers for any AI miniature creator on Instagram, period.

Bottom line: we harmonize technology, storytelling, and brand insight to create content with real depth—something completely different from generic AI output.

Who’s your target market and how big is it?

Our sweet spot is brands that care about emotional storytelling—consumer product companies where content marketing matters, and advertisers and creative agencies looking for fresh visual approaches. Basically, companies tired of cookie-cutter ads who want new, emotionally resonant ways to connect.

We’re also targeting content consumers directly. Our work is designed for short-form platforms like YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and TikTok, and it’s really clicking with Gen Z and Millennial audiences.

Market-wise, global digital advertising hit about $700 billion in 2024, with AI-based content creation and short-form creative among the fastest-growing segments. AI creative solutions in brand advertising are growing at over 20% annually—huge opportunity for us.

We’re creating a new niche that satisfies both brands seeking emotional content and audiences hungry for engaging, sensory experiences.

What’s the business model?

We primarily operate B2B, creating custom advertising content for brand clients. We get paid project-based production fees for AI miniature videos.

Primary content creation is our main revenue driver, with additional licensing fees for secondary usage (re-uploads, outdoor ads, TV commercials, etc.). We also offer package deals for multi-episode or long-term campaigns.

We use a premium short-form pricing model with detailed quotes based on length, scene count, and brand exposure level.

Our Instagram channel (@haniverse_00) also functions as owned media with real influence, generating additional revenue through brand product placements and sponsored content.

So we’ve built a multi-layered model: production fees + licensing + platform exposure revenue.

What have you achieved so far?

We’ve hit some pretty meaningful milestones with our AI miniature format across brand partnerships, market response, and content performance.

Content-wise, we’ve built 260,000+ Instagram followers and one piece hit 120 million views—getting major attention both domestically and internationally. What’s remarkable is this was all organic growth, zero ad spend.

We’re also generating real revenue. We’ve created collaborative content for Nongshim, GS E&C, and Invicta, landing paid contracts and repeat business—solid proof of market demand.

We’ve been recognized by public institutions and creative support programs in Seoul and Gyeonggi, building a foundation for expanding partnerships with Korean and international brands.

These results are establishing us as a leader in AI-powered brand emotional marketing.

What makes your team special?

Our biggest strength is having a versatile creator at the core who handles everything from content planning and design to video direction and AI tech operation. Haniverse started as a one-person studio led by someone with years of hands-on experience in advertising, media art, and branded content.

We’re particularly strong at emotionally visualizing brand messages, consistently delivering differentiated content by fusing AI video tech with storytelling. Having comprehensive capabilities—visual aesthetics, narrative construction, platform optimization—all connected within one team is a major competitive edge.

We also go beyond just using technology. Our content philosophy centers on creating genuine emotional connections between brands and consumers. This approach builds strong client trust and leads to repeat business and long-term partnerships.

Our origin story reflects this philosophy too. We started with a commitment to respect creative emotions and imagination, treating technology as a tool for creativity rather than letting it dominate—and this shows in everything we make.

Bottom line: we bring together technology, art, and marketing know-how in a rare package that creates emotionally powerful content—sustainable competitive advantage that transcends short-term trends.

Three reasons to invest in Haniverse

First: We’ve already validated our content format and market response.

Our AI miniature format has generated 260,000 Instagram followers and 120 million content views, proving viral potential and successful brand collaborations. We’re way past the experiment phase—this is a proven, marketable creative format.

Second: We possess rare capabilities that fuse technology with emotion.

We don’t just use AI—we transform it into emotional content through integrated storytelling, video direction, and brand interpretation, all in-house. This means we can rapidly produce high-quality work without relying on external partners—a powerful competitive advantage.

Third: We have massive potential for global expansion and high-value content business.

The AI content market is exploding, especially branded short-form content in the global advertising world. We’re already working with domestic and international brands and have the foundation to become a global creative studio. With investment to build better systems, expand the team, and establish stable production pipelines, we’ll see strong growth in both profitability and scale.

What support has Gyeonggi Content Agency provided?

We were selected for Pangyo Hub’s startup support program in 2025, which has been invaluable. Connecting with other founders, experts, and mentors has given us great insights and really helped refine our business strategy and brand direction. The hands-on support for business model development and fundraising is exactly what early-stage startups like us need.

The workspace, infrastructure, and educational programs are also fantastic—I’d definitely recommend them to other startup teams. Having a stable creative environment to test ideas and experiment with content has been huge.

For solo founders or small teams doing content-focused startups, Pangyo Hub is an excellent connector between technology, art, and industry. The combination of network, resources, mentoring, and physical space makes it perfect for early-stage companies.

Any final thoughts for readers?

Haniverse isn’t just about making “good AI content.” We’re trying to shift perspectives, breathe emotion into products and brands, and propose new ways of thinking about content value.

Sure, anyone can use AI tools now. But the real differentiator is how you interpret that technology and turn it into creative language that genuinely moves people. That’s what we do.

Long-term, we’re not chasing quick wins—we want to pioneer and lead the “emotion-based AI content” market. We started in Korea, but we’re building toward the day when global brands want to be part of the Haniverse worldview.

This interview is just the beginning. We’re excited to connect with more brands and people who value content that actually makes you feel something.