BREAKING NEWS

Ex-Ramp Engineers Raise $20M for Melius

Former Ramp engineers leading the AI startup Melius have successfully secured a total of $25 million in funding, including a $20 million Series A round, following a complete pivot from their original marketing optimization product.

QuickTool Team

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Oct 6, 2026•3 min read•Source: TechCrunchAI-assisted summary · Automatically reviewed by the QuickTool Quality Pipeline

⚡ In Short

Melius raised a $20 million Series A led by CRV and a $5 million seed round led by General Catalyst.
The startup scrapped its entire initial codebase after deciding its original marketing optimization tool lacked legs.
The redesigned platform serves as an agents lab for generating ad campaigns, images, and videos using plain language.

What Happened?

According to a TechCrunch report, New York-based startup Melius raised a $20 million Series A led by CRV alongside a $5 million seed round led by General Catalyst, totaling $25 million in funding. Originally launched over a year ago by former Ramp engineers Joowon Kim, Young Kim, and Arnav Ramu as an AI-powered performance marketing tool, the founders realized their initial codebase lacked long-term viability. They scrapped the entire project more than six months in to focus on generating creative assets and campaigns directly. The restructured platform now functions as an "agents lab for creative work," enabling users to turn concepts into reality using plain language.

Key Highlights

Melius raised a $20 million Series A led by CRV and a $5 million seed round led by General Catalyst.

The startup scrapped its entire initial codebase after deciding its original marketing optimization tool lacked legs.

The redesigned platform serves as an agents lab for generating ad campaigns, images, and videos using plain language.

Why It Matters

The shift highlights the rapid pivot decisions early-stage artificial intelligence startups face when pursuing product-market fit. By moving away from budget optimization to asset generation, Melius enters a growing generative media marketplace alongside competitors like Higgsfield, Krea, and Flora AI, reflecting high demand for automated creative tools.

Industry Reaction

Co-founder Joowon Kim noted that the market is large enough to support multiple competitors, stating that the presence of many players indicates high customer demand.

💡 Related AI Tools

The evolution of Melius highlights the growing capability of plain-language creative generators. Similar platforms in the broader market include Krea and Flora AI, which help brands and creators produce visual media without specialized production skills.

Conclusion

With fresh funding and a redefined focus on creative asset generation, Melius positions itself to capture demand in the competitive generative advertising sector.

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