On October 6, 2026, New York-based startup Melius announced US$25 million in total funding to advance its work as the first agents lab for creative teams. The financing consists of a US$5 million Seed round led by General Catalyst and a US$20 million Series A led by CRV. Genius Ventures, Vine Ventures, and Anti Fund also participated in the round.
Funding and Strategic Priorities
The company plans to use the fresh capital to grow its team, build out a go-to-market and sales organization, and continue expanding its agents lab. General Catalyst led the US$5 million Seed portion, while CRV led the larger US$20 million Series A commitment. Additional participating investors include Genius Ventures, Vine Ventures, and Anti Fund.
A Shared Creative Operating System
Melius provides creative teams with a shared operating system where teams of AI agents handle the busywork of visual content production. The company was founded on the belief that the real bottleneck is not the quality of current AI models. Instead, using those models still requires prompt-engineering skill and a patchwork of disconnected tools.
Melius removes that burden by having agents perform production work directly rather than asking users to master prompt engineering. The system is designed to take a workflow from first draft to finished asset without requiring users to stitch together multiple software products. This approach frees creative professionals to focus on the ideas behind their content instead of the mechanics of generating it.
Founding Team with Ramp Roots
Melius was co-founded by CEO Joowon Kim, CTO Young Kim, and COO Arnav Ramu. Joowon and Young previously worked together at Ramp, where Joowon served as a senior engineer and social media influencer, and Young was director of engineering and a co-founder of Venue, which Ramp acquired in 2023. Ramu is a multi-time entrepreneur who also held software investing and investment banking roles at Hg and Guggenheim.
Strong Early Traction
Melius came out of stealth in July 2026 with its agents lab. Less than three months later, the company has crossed a seven-figure run rate and thousands of teams are now actively building their brand creative assets on Melius daily. This early momentum suggests that creative organizations are looking for a more integrated and efficient approach to AI content production at scale.
Leadership Vision
"Creative teams don't have an idea-quantity problem; they have a resource problem," said co-founder and CEO Joowon Kim. He explained that generative AI made content cheap to produce, but using it still means prompt-engineering across a dozen different tools. Melius was built so teams of AI agents handle everything between an idea and the finished asset, allowing people to be creative instead of operating tools.
Investor Confidence
Yuri Sagalov, Managing Director at General Catalyst, said the founders' ability to pivot and execute at speed showed exactly the kind of conviction his firm looks for. He noted that most generative AI tools for creative teams are single purpose, offering a prompt box or an editor in isolation. Sagalov added that Melius has built a true operating system and that the full workflow advantage will compound as AI agents become more capable.
CRV General Partners Veronica Orellana and Reid Christian described the founders as obsessed with helping people create exactly what they imagine with AI. They said that clarity attracts strong talent, and the team has been quick to bring top people onboard. The investors also pointed to the trust built at Ramp and a bias toward shipping fast as reasons Melius can win the market.
Melius enters its next phase with substantial backing, a clear product direction, and early commercial traction. The company's agents lab model aims to shift creative work away from tool operation and toward higher value creative thinking. With US$25 million in total funding and support from established venture firms, Melius is positioned to grow its team and expand its approach to AI-assisted creative production.