Former DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg co-leads $15.5M Series A for AI video ad platform | TechCrunch
Jun 02, 2025 - techcrunch.com
DreamWorks co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg’s venture fund, WndrCo, co-led a $15.5 million Series A funding round for Creatify, an AI-driven video ad platform. Creatify’s AdMax platform leverages AI to rapidly produce numerous video advertisements tailored for social media marketing, analyzing successful campaigns on platforms like TikTok and Instagram to inform its creations. This investment reflects a broader trend in the tech industry, where leaders like Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg are exploring AI to automate advertising, testing thousands of ads across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.
Despite the enthusiasm for AI in advertising, the outcome is not guaranteed. Katzenberg, a seasoned entertainment executive, has had mixed successes in the past, notably founding Quibi, a short video platform that raised $1.75 billion but shut down after just six months. This history suggests that while AI advertising holds promise, its success is not assured.
Key takeaways:
WndrCo, co-founded by Jeffrey Katzenberg, co-led a $15.5 million Series A round for Creatify, an AI video ad platform.
Creatify's AdMax platform uses AI to generate video ads for social media marketing by analyzing successful campaigns on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has expressed ambitions to automate advertising with an AI tool that tests thousands of ads on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.
Jeffrey Katzenberg's previous venture, Quibi, raised $1.75 billion but shut down after six months, indicating that his investments are not always successful.
