News Summary

Cheehoo, an AI animation startup founded by a team of Hollywood executives and technologists, has raised $10 million in funding led by Greycroft, with additional participation from Point72 Ventures, Basis Set, Headline Asia, Powerhouse Capital, Playground Productions, and Rideback. Cheehoo aims to simplify the complex and costly process of animation production by offering AI-powered tools that integrate with existing platforms like Maya and Unreal. These tools facilitate rapid prototyping and iteration, allowing creators to maintain creative control while reducing production costs. Cheehoo’s founding team includes co-CEOs of Rideback, Michael LoFaso and Jonathan Eirich, as well as former DreamWorks Animation President Chris deFaria and former Apple AI researchers Hubert Tsai and Wei-Cheng Kuo. The startup is already collaborating with several intellectual property holders, studios, and creators, and plans to expand its offerings to more consumer-focused products in the future.