Moonvalley, a Los Angeles-based startup specializing in artificial intelligence tools for video creation, has secured roughly $53 million in total funding, according to a recent SEC filing. This represents an additional $10 million raised from a group of 14 undisclosed investors, shortly following the company’s announcement about a $43 million funding influx just a month earlier. Altogether, Moonvalley has now accumulated an estimated $124 million in funding, including the notable $70 million seed round that closed last November.
The rapid expansion of AI-powered video generators has crowded the marketplace, leading to fierce competition among providers. A range of startups—Runway, Lightricks, Genmo, Pika, Higgsfield, Kling, Luma—as well as technology giants such as OpenAI, Alibaba, and Google, have all ramped up their efforts in the field. Most of these companies rely on similar public datasets for training their algorithms, often without fully resolving copyright issues.
Moonvalley aims to set itself apart by being more cautious and methodical in its data usage and by embedding protective measures into its software. Unlike some of its competitors, which typically scrape data from the web and rely upon fair-use arguments, Moonvalley says it approaches content acquisition by purchasing carefully curated video datasets from partners and ensuring proper licensing agreements. This method closely resembles policies already implemented by companies like Adobe through platforms such as Adobe Stock.
Additionally, Moonvalley emphasizes safety and compliance. The company highlights its Marey video generation model—developed in collaboration with Asteria, a specialized AI animation studio—as offering creators greater control and finer detail over camera angles and motion, producing clips up to 30 seconds long in HD. Moonvalley also explicitly claims that its approach reduces potential legal vulnerabilities compared to other AI-generating models.
Further strengthening its product proposition, Moonvalley is currently developing an intuitive user interface featuring storyboarding functions and precise adjustment tools for sophisticated users. While the platform has yet to be released publicly, it reportedly generates not just text-based clips but also accepts inputs from images, sketches, and existing videos to craft new dynamic content.
The startup was founded by Naeem Talukdar, previously responsible for product growth at Zapier, together with former DeepMind researchers Mateusz Malinowski and Mik Binkowski. John Thomas joined Moonvalley as chief operating officer; Thomas had previously collaborated with Talukdar at another startup called Draft. Asteria founder Bryn Mooser is also listed among Moonvalley’s co-founders.
As generative AI continues to reshape media and entertainment industries, significant concerns about the impact on traditional creative jobs persist. According to a recent report sponsored by the Animation Guild, tens of thousands of film, television, and animation workers in the United States could see their employment negatively impacted by AI-driven technologies by 2026.
Acknowledging these ethical and economic worries, Moonvalley emphasizes its commitment to responsible technology deployment. It pledges to allow creators control over the use of their work, enable users to completely remove their data upon request, and provide indemnity protections against copyright infringement claims. Additionally, its tools will restrict generation of sensitive or inappropriate content and prevent the unauthorized use of specific individuals’ images, including celebrities.
In a March statement, Moonvalley outlined its strategy clearly: “We founded Moonvalley to make generative video technology that works for filmmakers and creative professionals. That means addressing fear and distrust, as well as solving technical problems that keep generative AI from being a realistic tool for professional production.”
