He’s still working for the people!
Former NFL player Colin Kaepernick has just launched a new AI startup called Lumi, Essence reports. The social justice advocate came up with the idea while building his media and publishing companies, facing significant challenges scaling his company that he felt could be alleviated using emerging AI technologies.
“[There were] long production timelines, high costs, and creators not having ownership over the work they create,” Kaepernick explained.
He was able to utilize AI platforms to help create his children’s book, seeing the benefit of them for a new company. Now Kaepernick has launched Lumi, with the goal of promoting more inclusivity in storytelling, the platform focused on providing creators with the tools needed to “create, illustrate, publish, and monetize their ideas.”
“The majority of the world’s stories never come to life. Most people don’t have access or inroads to publishers or platforms – or they may have a gap in their skillset that’s a barrier for them to be able to create. We’re going to see a whole new world of stories and perspectives,” said Kaepernick.
View this post on Instagramadvertisement
Lumi has already raised $4 million, the venture capital funding led by Alexis Ohanian’s Seven Seven Six company, AI Business reports. With Lumi, Kaepernick hopes to make content creation more equitable, allow storytellers more independence, and provide a platform for them to promote their work.
“Lumi addresses an unnecessary dependency on gatekeepers that slows creators down…The platform empowers creators to work freely and independently, deciding when and how they want to collaborate with others. This independence is crucial for fostering a vibrant and diverse creative ecosystem,” said Kaepernick.
Cover photo: Colin Kaepernick Raises $4M to Launch New AI Startup Focused On Diversifying Storytelling/Photo credit: University of Nevada, Reno