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AI-Driven 3D Animation Startup Plask Raises US$2.56 million in Pre-Series A Funding

By Alex

Posted on October 26, 2021

SEOUL, South Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AI-driven animation startup Plask has raised US$2.56 million in pre-Series A funding to bring their cutting-edge cloud-based animation technology to customers globally. The funding round was led by Smilegate Investment, with existing investor Naver and new investors KT Investment and Timewise Investment.

Plask is an automated web solution that automates the "animation" process behind character movement, making it easier and more efficient to produce state-of-the-art animation at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods. Plask uses �pose extraction� combined with deep learning technology to instantly animate character movement.

Most animation is still dependent on manual methods, but it is increasingly unable to keep up with demand from the �Metaverse� and �interactive virtual entertainment� trends. Plask's animation automation technology lets animators meet the high-quality and high-volume demand that is needed to make the metaverse economic and feasible.

Plask has been conducting beta-tests of its flagship product with animation production companies, game developers, and entertainment studios. Testing has revealed that the product�s output and user experience has the potential to be a game-changing global content authoring tool for the animation and gaming industry. Plask is set to officially launch before the end of 2021.

Naver D2SF Leader Yang Sang Hwan said, "Most character content production relies on manual work, but the reality is that we cannot keep up with the rapidly increasing demand for content without bottlenecks in the Metaverse production ecosystem," Yang said, adding, "The value of content authoring tools developed by Plask will gradually increase, and we expect close technology synergy with Naver." In addition, he added, "From the preliminary start-up stage to the present, Plask is a team that has been learning and growing rapidly, and will expand even more in the future."

�We plan to use our Pre-Series A investment to aggressively recruit key talent,� Plask CEO Junho Lee said. "Just as the design tool 'Figma' became a standard tool for UI/UX design in just five years, Plask plans to disrupt the global content industry by providing an excellent user experience and solid AI technology."