Giant, an interactive storytelling platform built around children as creators, today announced it has raised an $8 million seed round funding.
The funding will enable San Francisco-based Giant to expand its AI-native interactive storytelling platform that allows children to become the stars of their own stories, talk to characters who remember them, and create worlds that grow with their imagination.
Matrix, Decasonic, and Griffin Gaming Partners led the round, with participation from Perceptive Ventures, Flex Capital, Arbitrum Gaming Ventures, Unpopular Ventures, and LightShed Ventures.
Since launching in May 2025, Giant has achieved remarkable early traction, surpassing a million minutes of conversation between children and characters. The platform has generated over 200,000 personalized episodes viewed by kids. Giant’s high repeat usage demonstrates the power of personalization and creative ownership in engaging children’s imaginations.
“The internet is optimized for attention, while kids need imagination,” said John Kobs, CEO of Giant, in a statement. “Storytelling shapes who kids become. We turn kids from consumers into creators, building what we want our own kids to grow up with.”
Giant’s platform offers three core experiences that adapt to each child:
● Create: Young creators design their own episodes and worlds, making choices that shape their adventures.
● Watch: Children become cartoon characters and star in personalized shows that feature
their name, voice, and interests.
● Talk: Kids engage in conversations with characters who listen, remember, and respond
meaningfully.
The company recently won the Interactive Media category at Lightspeed’s Game Changers
competition, selected from over 1,000 applications.
“I’ve been investing in John since 2013,” said Dana Stalder, general partner at Matrix, in a statement. “Giant is the most ambitious expression of his long-term vision, building a category-defining product that combines creativity, emotional intelligence, and AI at scale.”
“Giant combines a first-principles understanding of kids’ creativity with AI that adapts as children turn ideas into stories and stories into worlds,” said Paul Hsu, CEO at Decasonic, an early stage AI venture firm, in a statement. “John brings rare founder authenticity as a parent, and the team delivers with real competitive intensity. We believe Giant is defining a new category in AI-powered creative storytelling for the next generation.”
“We were immediately drawn to John and the team’s energy and conviction,” said Pierre Planche, Partner at Griffin. “They combine repeat-founder experience with a rare sensitivity to their users, which clearly comes through in the magical experience they’re building.”
Built with the same care parents would want for their own children, Giant maintains strict safety standards: no ads, no tracking, and no data collection. The platform is designed with input from child development experts and certified safe for young users.
“Giant’s approach combines emotional intelligence, personalization, and AI designed with
parents’ trust in mind to create an experience kids genuinely want to engage with,” said Rick Johanson, Partner at Arbitrum Gaming Ventures. “John and the Giant team bring rare depth of experience, paired with strong early validation. We believe Giant has the potential to define a new category that resonates with kids and parents alike, and we’re excited to support them as they scale.”
Kobs previously founded Apartment List, which he led as CEO for 14 years, scaling it to power approximately 3% of all rental moves in the United States. He started Giant to build the kind of creative product he wanted for his own kids.
Giant is now available on iOS and Android. The company has nine people and it was founded in 2024.
As for the inspiration, Giant said in a message to GamesBeat, “We believe kids should grow up as world-builders. Storytelling shapes identity, and the stories children engage with quietly shape how they see themselves and what they believe is possible. As a father, I wanted my kids immersed in worlds that expand their imagination and strengthen their confidence. So we built Giant. Kids star in personalized episodes, talk to characters who know and remember them, and create their own stories and shows. Each interaction builds on the last, deepening creativity, emotional intelligence, and self-belief over time. Giant is where kids step inside the story and help shape who they’re becoming.
For the underlying tech, the company uses an AI-native platform. Generative models power story, voice, and visuals, and our proprietary systems personalize each experience in real time so every child gets a world that adapts to them.