Ex-ramp engineers launch AI platform Melius after shifting focus

Melius, an AI platform for generating ad campaigns, images, and videos, announced on Tuesday it raised $25 million in funding, including a $20 million Series A led by CRV and a $5 million seed round from General Catalyst. The New York-based startup, founded by former Ramp engineers Joowon Kim, Young Kim, and Arnav Ramu, initially aimed to create an AI-powered performance marketing tool but pivoted after six months, scrapping the original product. Kim stated the team decided their initial idea lacked potential and instead focused on building tools to generate creative assets and campaigns. Melius now describes itself as an 'agents lab for creative work.' Kim, who has a passion for video creation since childhood, emphasized the platform's potential to enable anyone to turn ideas into reality using plain language. He noted the large market size can support multiple competitors, despite Higgsfield's rapid growth and $5.4 billion valuation.