Giant, a San Francisco, CA-based provider of an interactive storytelling platform, has raised $8 million in a Seed funding round led by Matrix, Decasonic, and Griffin Gaming Partners.
The round also saw participation from Perceptive Ventures, Flex Capital, Arbitrum Gaming Ventures, Unpopular Ventures, and LightShed Ventures.
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The company plans to use the funds to grow its operations and support product development.
Giant is an interactive storytelling platform that puts children at the center as creators. It has seen strong early traction, with over 1 million minutes of conversations between kids and characters and more than 200,000 personalized episodes viewed. High repeat usage shows how personalization and creative control help capture children’s imaginations.
Giant’s platform provides three main experiences, each personalized to fit every child
Create: Kids build their own episodes and worlds, making choices that shape their stories.
Watch: Children turn into cartoon characters and star in personalized shows that include their name, voice, and interests.
Talk: Kids chat with characters who listen, remember details, and respond meaningfully.
The company recently won the Interactive Media category at Lightspeed’s Game Changers competition, chosen from more than 1,000 applicants.
Built with parents in mind, Giant follows strict safety standards: no ads, no tracking and no data collection. The platform was designed with input from child development experts and is certified safe for young users.
Kobs previously founded Apartment List and served as CEO for 14 years, growing it to support about 3% of all rental moves in the U.S. He started Giant to create the kind of creative product he wanted for his own children.
“The internet is built to capture attention, but kids need imagination,” said John Kobs, CEO and Co-Founder of Giant. “Storytelling helps shape who children become. We help kids move from just consuming content to creating it, building the kind of product we want for our own children.”
“I’ve been investing in John since 2013,” said Dana Stalder, General Partner at Matrix. “Giant is his most ambitious project yet, creating a new kind of product that brings together creativity, emotional intelligence, and AI at scale.”
“Giant blends a deep understanding of children’s creativity with AI that adapts as kids turn ideas into stories and stories into worlds,” said Paul Hsu, CEO of Decasonic. “John brings genuine insight as a parent and the team executes with strong focus. We believe Giant is creating a new category in AI-powered storytelling for the next generation.”
“We were immediately impressed by John and the team’s energy and belief in their vision,” said Pierre Planche, Partner at Griffin. “They bring repeat-founder experience along with a strong understanding of their users, which shows in the engaging experience they’re creating.”
“Giant combines emotional intelligence, personalization and parent-friendly AI to create an experience kids truly enjoy,” said Rick Johanson, Partner at Arbitrum Gaming Ventures. “John and the team bring deep experience and strong early traction. We believe Giant can create a new category that connects with both kids and parents and we’re excited to support their growth.”
About Giant
Founded by CEO John Kobs, Giant is building a storytelling platform that inspires children’s imagination. Kids can become cartoon characters, star in their own stories, talk with characters and create worlds that grow with them. Giant turns screen time into creative play. It’s made for families, trusted by parents, and enjoyed by kids.
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