Observed Signal · Oct 6, 2026 · Funding · Source: techcrunch · Impact: 4/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Ex-Ramp Engineers Raise $20M for AI Ad Platform Melius
Melius, an AI platform for generating ad campaigns, images, and videos, announced on Tuesday that it raised a total of $25 million in funding, including a $20 million Series A led by CRV and a $5 million seed round led by General Catalyst. The New York-based company, founded by former Ramp engineers, initially built an AI-powered performance marketing tool but scrapped the entire codebase after six months to focus on generating creative assets. Melius claims to have surpassed $1 million in annualized revenue within two months of coming out of stealth in July. The platform is described as an 'agents lab for creative work', allowing users to create ads using plain language. Competitors include Higgsfield, Krea, and Flora AI.
This funding round highlights the growing VC interest in AI-powered creative generation for advertising, a key area for AdTech innovation. Melius's rapid revenue growth and pivot to this space signal significant market demand for AI-driven ad creative, which could reshape how ad campaigns are produced.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Melius raised $25 million in total funding, including a $20 million Series A led by CRV and a $5 million seed round led by General Catalyst.
- Melius is an AI platform for generating ad campaigns, images, and videos.
- The company was founded by former Ramp engineers Joowon Kim, Young Kim, and Arnav Ramu.
- Melius scrapped its original performance marketing product and pivoted to creative asset generation.
- Melius claims to have surpassed $1 million in annualized revenue within two months of coming out of stealth in July.
Connected Companies & Entities
4 Entities mapped“The three knew each other from working as engineers at Ramp, the corporate spending and finance software company....”
“a $20 million Series A led by CRV...”
“a $5 million seed round led by General Catalyst....”
“Competitors include rapidly growing Higgsfield, which was valued at $5.4 billion in August....”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
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