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AI firm Motorica secures €5M seed funding for animation tech By Investing.com
STOCKHOLM - AI animation company Motorica has secured €5 million in seed funding to develop its character animation technology, according to a press release statement issued Tuesday. The funding round was led by Angular Ventures with participation from Luminar Ventures. The Stockholm-based company plans to use the capital to expand its AI platform and continue research and development efforts. Motorica's technology generates animations for digital characters, reportedly allowing animation workflows that are 200 times faster than traditional motion capture methods. The company claims its AI tools have reduced animation time by up to 99% in early deployments with game studios. "Motorica is a breakthrough in game development and animation technology," said Willem Demmers, CEO of Motorica, in the press release. The company's platform integrates with industry software including Unreal Engine, Cinema 4D, Maya, Unity and Blender. It utilizes proprietary motion datasets captured in the company's Stockholm studio. Founded in 2020, Motorica emerged from research by Gustav Henter and Simon Alexanderson, who developed a generative model for motion synthesis. The company officially exited stealth mode in 2023 when they partnered with Demmers. With the new funding, Motorica plans to expand integrations through software development kits and APIs, grow its motion library, and establish partnerships with game engines and visual effects studios. David Peterson, Partner at Angular Ventures, stated in the announcement that the company is "building foundational technology that will power the next wave of digital experiences."
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Motorica Raises €5M to Lead the Generative AI Revolution in Character Animation
Trusted by top-tier studios and animators, Motorica delivers production-ready motion synthesis at 200x speed, with no compromise on quality or control , SE / / / Motorica, the global pioneer in Generative AI for character animation and motion synthesis, today announced the close of a €5 million seed funding round, led by , with participation from . The funding will support Motorica's rapid expansion, scaling of its proprietary AI platform and continued investment in R&D to shape the future of instant character animation. Motorica's technology is already being used in live production environments by world-leading studios to deliver production-ready animation at unprecedented speed and scale. In early deployments, studios have reported up to a 99% reduction in animation time, achieving animation workflows that are 200x faster than the traditional motion capture to gameplay animation workflow - without sacrificing creative control, quality, or pipeline compatibility. "Motorica is a breakthrough in game development and animation technology that will help to bring forth the next era of gaming, enabling digital Living Worlds that are populated by dynamic, lifelike characters that will make gameplay a truly immersive and interactive experience," said , CEO of Motorica. "But unlike other AI developments, we're not here to upend the animation workflow. We're here to liberate it. Traditionally, animators spend 70% of their time on technical grunt work and only 30% on actual creative performance. Motorica flips that. By automating the grind - things like tedious keyframing for basic locomotion - we let creators focus on what matters: storytelling, emotion, and innovation. That shift helps studios move faster, push quality higher, and ship with less friction." , animator for titles including "The Last of Us: Part II" and "Call of Duty: WWll," shared, "Motorica is the best tool out there for locomotion animation and Motion Matching. It delivers better, more consistent results than mocap as they give you exact control on acceleration and target speed, and more." Solving the Hardest Problem in Game and Virtual Production Pipelines Character animation, especially for interactive media like games and virtual production, has traditionally required a significant amount of manual work, from in-studio MoCap shoots and reshoots to manual keyframing and repetitive cycles. Studios face a fundamental trade-off between speed and cost versus realism and scale. Motorica removes that trade-off. Motorica's platform is built to generate realistic, responsive, diverse animation at scale. The system integrates industry-standard tools and workflows, offering full compatibility with DCC software and game engines, including Unreal Engine, Maxon Cinema 4D, Maya, Unity and Blender. Advanced capabilities include support for motion matching, enabling lifelike animation for large numbers of characters in complex gameplay scenarios. Motorica's core IP is built on years of academic innovation, beginning with the 2019 research breakthrough by top researchers and , who developed the world's first deep generative model for motion synthesis - effectively pioneering generative AI for character animation. Founded in 2020 to prototype this research, Motorica officially broke stealth in 2023, when Gustav and Simon teamed up with serial founder to bring the company to market - turning their pioneering prototype into a commercially viable product. Motorica owns and operates a state-of-the-art motion capture studio in and has built one of the largest and most refined proprietary motion datasets in the world, captured with professional actors to ensure biomechanical realism and cinematic performance. With this foundation, Motorica stands alone as the only generative AI provider currently delivering -quality animation at scale and as the category leader in the emerging space of motion synthesis. "We invested in Motorica because they're not just reimagining animation - they're building foundational technology that will power the next wave of digital experiences," said , Partner at . "This platform has the potential to influence everything from how characters move in games and virtual worlds to how machines understand and replicate human motion in robotics, XR, and beyond. Their deep research roots, execution strength, and early adoption from industry leaders make Motorica a category-defining company." With seed funding secured, Motorica plans to accelerate its product roadmap and scale customer adoption across key verticals. Near-term initiatives include: Artist Commitment Motorica's team is committed to augmenting creativity, not automating it away. Rapidly emerging as the industry standard for high-quality motion synthesis, the platform is designed in close collaboration with professional animators, game developers, and technical directors to enhance artistic workflows and eliminate bottlenecks. Rather than replacing human creativity, Motorica's tools eliminate chores - such as character locomotion and filler cycles - allowing creative teams to focus on performance, narrative, and style. Motorica is a -based AI company focused on generative animation for 3D character motion. Founded to address the growing demand for scalable, high-quality animation, Motorica develops technology that combines machine learning, motion capture, and compatible solutions for industry tools such as motion matching.
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AI animation company Motorica raises €5 million in seed funding to develop its groundbreaking character animation technology, promising to accelerate animation workflows by 200 times compared to traditional methods.
Motorica, a Stockholm-based AI animation company, has successfully raised €5 million in seed funding to further develop its innovative character animation technology 12. The funding round was led by Angular Ventures, with participation from Luminar Ventures, demonstrating strong investor confidence in Motorica's potential to transform the animation industry 1.
At the heart of Motorica's offering is a groundbreaking AI-powered platform that generates animations for digital characters. The company claims its technology can accelerate animation workflows by an astounding 200 times compared to traditional motion capture methods 1. Early deployments with game studios have reportedly resulted in up to 99% reduction in animation time, showcasing the potential for significant efficiency gains in the industry 2.
One of Motorica's key strengths is its seamless integration with widely-used industry software. The platform is compatible with popular tools such as Unreal Engine, Cinema 4D, Maya, Unity, and Blender 12. This integration ensures that Motorica's technology can be easily adopted by studios without disrupting existing workflows, potentially accelerating its adoption across the industry.
Motorica's technology is built upon solid academic foundations. The company emerged from research conducted by Gustav Henter and Simon Alexanderson, who developed a pioneering generative model for motion synthesis 1. Founded in 2020, Motorica officially exited stealth mode in 2023 when they partnered with Willem Demmers, who now serves as the company's CEO 12.
With the new funding, Motorica has ambitious plans for growth and development. The company aims to expand its integrations through software development kits and APIs, grow its motion library, and establish partnerships with game engines and visual effects studios 1. These initiatives are designed to solidify Motorica's position as a leader in the emerging field of AI-powered animation.
The potential impact of Motorica's technology on the animation and gaming industries is significant. David Peterson, Partner at Angular Ventures, stated that the company is "building foundational technology that will power the next wave of digital experiences" 1. This sentiment is echoed by industry professionals, with one animator from high-profile game titles praising Motorica as "the best tool out there for locomotion animation and Motion Matching" 2.
Despite the automation capabilities of their technology, Motorica emphasizes that their goal is to augment rather than replace human creativity. By automating tedious tasks like keyframing for basic locomotion, the company aims to free up animators to focus more on storytelling, emotion, and innovation 2. This approach could potentially transform the role of animators, allowing them to dedicate more time to the creative aspects of their work.
As Motorica continues to develop its technology and expand its reach, it stands poised to play a significant role in shaping the future of character animation across gaming, virtual production, and potentially beyond into areas such as robotics and extended reality (XR) 2.
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