Giant raises $8 million to build storytelling platform for kids

Screen time has trained a generation to scroll. Giant wants children to create instead.

The AI startup, which builds an interactive storytelling platform centered on young creators, said it has raised an $8 million seed round led by Matrix, Decasonic, and Griffin Gaming Partners. Perceptive Ventures, Flex Capital, Arbitrum Gaming Ventures, Unpopular Ventures, and LightShed Ventures joined the round.

The new funding gives Giant room to grow a product that puts children inside the stories they help shape. On the platform, kids can become the main character, speak with characters that remember past interactions, and build story worlds that evolve with their input.

Early traction is starting to take shape. Since its May 2025 launch, Giant says children have logged more than 1 million minutes of conversations with characters. The company has generated over 200,000 personalized episodes, a signal that repeat engagement is holding up in the early days.

“The internet is optimized for attention, while kids need imagination,” said John Kobs, CEO and Co-Founder of Giant. “Storytelling shapes who kids become. We turn kids from consumers into creators, building what we want our own kids to grow up with.”

From passive screen time to creation: AI startup Giant raises $8M to reinvent kids’ media

Giant’s product experience rests on three pillars that adapt to each child. Kids can create their own episodes and story worlds, watch themselves appear as animated characters in personalized shows, and talk with characters that respond in context and remember prior exchanges. The goal is to shift screen time away from passive viewing and toward creative participation.

Investors are leaning into that thesis. Dana Stalder, General Partner at Matrix, said the company reflects a long-term vision he has watched develop over more than a decade. “I’ve been investing in John since 2013,” Stalder said. “Giant is the most ambitious expression of his long-term vision, building a category-defining product that combines creativity, emotional intelligence, and AI at scale.”

Paul Hsu, CEO of Decasonic, framed the opportunity in terms of how children interact with creative tools. “Giant combines a first-principles understanding of kids’ creativity with AI that adapts as children turn ideas into stories and stories into worlds,” he said. “John brings rare founder authenticity as a parent, and the team delivers with real competitive intensity. We believe Giant is defining a new category in AI-powered creative storytelling for the next generation.”

Pierre Planche, Partner at Griffin, pointed to the team’s user focus. “We were immediately drawn to John and the team’s energy and conviction,” Planche said. “They combine repeat-founder experience with a rare sensitivity to their users, which clearly comes through in the magical experience they’re building.”

The product has picked up early industry recognition. Giant recently won the Interactive Media category at Lightspeed’s Game Changers competition, selected from more than 1,000 applicants.

Trust and safety sit at the center of the company’s pitch to parents. Giant says the platform runs without ads, tracking, or data collection. Development included input from child development specialists, and the company says the experience is certified safe for young users.

“Giant’s approach combines emotional intelligence, personalization, and AI designed with parents’ trust in mind to create an experience kids genuinely want to engage with,” said Rick Johanson, Partner at Arbitrum Gaming Ventures. “John and the Giant team bring rare depth of experience, paired with strong early validation. We believe Giant has the potential to define a new category that resonates with kids and parents alike, and we’re excited to support them as they scale.”

Kobs is no stranger to building consumer platforms. He previously founded Apartment List and led the company for 14 years, growing it to support roughly 3 percent of all rental moves in the United States. Giant reflects a more personal motivation. Kobs has said he set out to build the kind of creative product he wanted his own children to use.

The app is now available on iOS and Android, placing Giant in the crowded, closely watched market for children’s digital experiences. The company’s bet is straightforward: if screen time is here to stay, the next fight is over what kids actually do with it.