Bria, a Tel-Aviv-based AI startup, raises $40M to build AI models on licensed content. AI-driven image generators have faced legal scrutiny due to their reliance on vast datasets sourced from public websites, raising copyright concerns. While many AI firms argue that fair use laws justify data scraping, copyright holders often disagree. To address this, some startups are taking a different approach—training AI models solely on licensed content. One such company is Bria, a New York and Tel Aviv-based AI firm founded in 2023 by entrepreneurs Yair Adato and Assa Eldar.
Bria sets itself apart by acquiring images from approximately 20 partners, including Getty Images, to train its AI models within clear copyright guidelines. According to CEO Adato, Bria compensates image owners based on their “overall influence” in the dataset.
“Our foundation models incorporate one billion visuals and millions of videos,” Adato told Techvop. “We’ve worked to mitigate biases that sometimes appear in AI-generated content by training on globally representative datasets. As a result, our models create visuals that reflect diversity and are well-suited for various creative applications.”
Bria’s AI Solutions and Business Model
Bria offers a range of AI-powered tools, including plug-ins for Photoshop and Figma, as well as a fine-tuning API that allows businesses to customize models for specific needs. The platform provides flexible deployment options, enabling users to run Bria’s models either on its own cloud or external computing environments. Notably, customers retain ownership of their data and outputs.
“Enterprise customers can license access to our source code and models,” Adato explained. “We offer over 30 specialized APIs for creating and modifying visuals, available through subscription and usage-based pricing. Additionally, businesses can fine-tune our AI models with their brand assets to maintain a consistent visual identity.”
Expanding Bria’s Vision
Bria’s long-term goal is to build an intellectual property (IP) ecosystem where companies can access licensed media assets from top content providers, ensuring compliance in commercial AI-generated creations. The company also plans to expand its AI capabilities beyond images, with future support for music, video, text, and even on-device applications.
Despite industry challenges, Bria continues to grow. Adato noted that while the broader tech sector faces hurdles like budget constraints and market saturation, Bria’s focus on licensed content positions it well for sustainable success.
Series B Funding and Growth Strategy
Bria’s innovative approach has attracted significant investor confidence. The company recently secured $40 million in a Series B funding round led by Red Dot Capital, with contributions from Maor Investment, Entrée Capital, GFT Ventures, Intel Capital, and In-Venture. This latest funding brings Bria’s total raised capital to around $65 million.
A significant portion of the investment will go toward product development. “We’ve seen tremendous growth, with our 40 customers driving over 400% annual recurring revenue growth last year,” Adato revealed. “We’re also scaling our team, bringing in experts in generative AI research, music and video engineering, global sales, marketing, copyright law, and AI consultancy. By the end of the year, we expect to double our workforce.”
With its fresh funding and a clear vision for ethical AI development, Bria is poised to become a leader in the AI-powered content generation space, setting a new standard for legally compliant and diverse AI-generated media.
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