Flick, an AI-native filmmaking platform founded by Zoey Zhang and Ray Wang, announced it has raised $6 million in seed funding. The round included backing from True Ventures, GV, Y Combinator, Lightspeed, Formosa Capital, Pioneer Fund, Olive Tree Capital, N1, and angel investors.
Based in San Francisco, Flick is building an AI-native creative workflow designed to give filmmakers cinematic control instead of relying on one-click video generation. The company said its platform focuses on storytelling, iteration, and artistic direction while enabling creators to integrate AI into filmmaking workflows.
Prior to founding Flick, Wang helped build the first version of Instagram Stories in 2016, helping scale the feature to more than 400 million daily active users. Zhang began making films in 2013 through traditional filmmaking before transitioning into AI filmmaking in 2022. In February 2025, Zhang participated in the MIT AI Film Hack, where she created her first AI short film and won the Best Visual Award. Her AI films have since been nominated and recognized at more than 30 international film festivals.
The company said it will use the funding to accelerate product development, expand its cinematic creative tooling, and grow its filmmaker community. Flick is also launching the Flick Filmmaker Residency, debuting with more than 10 short AI-native films created by emerging filmmakers and showcased at the Cinequest Film Festival, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Omni AI film festival. The residency program is led by Zhang and is designed to provide filmmakers with mentorship, industry resources, and creative support.
According to the company, the idea for Flick emerged after Wang collaborated on Zhang’s second AI film in April 2025. While experimenting with existing AI video tools and custom pipelines, the founders concluded that most tools were either too technical for creators or too limited to support professional directing workflows.
KEY QUOTES:
“At Flick, creators don’t lose their authentic voice as AI scales. We’re building a bridge so filmmakers won’t think about ‘prompting models’ at all — they’ll just direct, compose, and feel, and the tools will disappear into their creative flow.”
Zoey Zhang, Co-founder, Flick
“Ray and Zoey represent the perfect combination of world-class technical execution and deep creative understanding. They’re not just building AI tools – they’re empowering a new generation of filmmakers to focus on what matters most: storytelling and artistic expression. Their craft-first approach and genuine commitment to the creative community makes them the ideal team to define this emerging category of AI-native filmmaking.”
Mike Montano, Partner, True Ventures
“The majority of generative video is unrefined, prioritizing volume over substance. Flick is part of an entirely new category, built for the serious filmmakers who want to use AI, not as a shortcut, but as a tool to enhance their creativity. The next Tarantino, the next Spielberg, the next Scorsese – I believe they’re going to get their start on a platform like Flick.”
Sangeen Zeb, General Partner, GV
