Hedra Launches Character-1: A Cutting-Edge Video-Focused Foundation Model

AI video creation platform Hedra has successfully raised $10 million in seed funding, highlighting the growing interest in AI-driven investments and generative AI technology.

Founded by former employees of Nvidia, Google, and Meta, Hedra attracts investors such as Index Ventures, Abstract, and A16Z Speedrun.

As part of its funding round, Hedra launched Character-1, a video-focused foundation model, moving it out of stealth mode. This model is claimed to be “the fastest video foundation model on the market.”

According to the company, "Until now, creators faced tradeoffs between control and speed with generative video models. Our June preview of Character-1 demonstrated that these compromises are no longer necessary. It is designed to enhance the efficiency of content creators and marketers, offering both speed and user-friendliness."

Hedra reports that over 350,000 users have engaged with the Character-1 platform, generating more than 1.6 million videos. Many of these videos gained popularity on platforms like Reddit and Instagram. The company emphasizes its capabilities in creating AI popstars and a variety of AI-generated content while committing to improve its safety and content moderation features.

Looking ahead, Hedra aims to enhance its platform's multimodal functionality to “integrate story, sound, and video generation into one cohesive workflow.” Their goal is to streamline content creation, enabling customization of digital avatars and characters through AI.

Character-1 joins a wave of recent video generation models launched within the industry. Notably, Haiper 1.5, which emerged in March, is said to compete with OpenAI’s yet-to-be-released Sora. Meanwhile, RunwayML launched its Gen-3 Alpha model in July, and Luma AI introduced its realistic video platform, Dream Machine, in June.

Additionally, another video platform, Captions, secured $60 million in Series C funding in July. Major players like OpenAI and Google are also focusing on generative AI-powered video creation, with OpenAI's Sora in development and Google announcing its Veo platform in May.