Krea, a San Francisco-based startup, has raised $83 million in funding to simplify the process of working with generative AI models for designers and visual creatives. The company's platform provides tooling from multiple models, along with a custom interface aimed at making queries and subsequent edits sent to those models significantly easier and more customizable to the user.

Krea's funding is being announced for the first time today, and the $83 million total figure is actually coming in a few tranches: the latest, a Series B, totals $47 million; that was preceded by a preseed/seed and Series A respectively of $3 million and $33 million. Bain Capital is leading the latest round, with other major investors including Andreessen Horowitz and Abstract Ventures. As a result of this funding, Krea is currently valued at $500 million post-money.

Krea's platform is designed to address the gap in the market that has arisen from the rapid proliferation of generative AI tools. Designers are not prompt engineers and do not want to be bogged down in the technical process of verbal AI interrogation. They are also not interested in keeping up with the latest model updates and figuring out which model is more (or less) effective for what they're trying to achieve. Krea's founders, Victor Perez and Diego Rodriguez, argue that creators work best when they are working with software that understands their sensibilities.

The platform is set up to allow users to input an idea for an image they would like to create. That idea is then processed by Krea, which behind the scenes selects the models that it believes could give users the best outcome based on the request. That might be one model or more than one. Users can then edit and tailor the resulting selections to refine them further. This "one stop shop" approach is not entirely new, but Krea's ability to then modify the images is a unique feature that sets it apart from other solutions.

Krea's tools currently cover still images and video, and the company is working on expanding its platform to cover tools for audio and music generation as well. The funding will also be used to build out more enterprise features, as the product has primarily been geared towards serving individuals and small teams up to now.

Krea's founders, Perez and Rodriguez, met a decade ago as students in Barcelona, Spain, and have been kindred spirits ever since. Both consider themselves creatives and creators, with Perez having a background in music playing and production, and Rodriguez in art. They have equally always been interested in technical subjects, and their passion for AI led them to drop out of graduate school to build their startup.

The implications of Krea's platform are significant, as it has the potential to democratize access to generative AI tools for designers and visual creatives. As Aaref Hilaly, a partner at Bain Ventures, noted, "Each model is being leapfrogged very quickly by another one. If you're a creator and want to use these models… having a layer like Krea on top of all of them makes sense and that provides value to the creator. They are getting the latest models with a great user experience."

In conclusion, Krea's $83 million funding round is a significant milestone in the development of the company's platform, which has the potential to revolutionize the way designers and visual creatives work with generative AI models. As the AI landscape continues to evolve, Krea is well-positioned to play a key role in shaping the future of creative workflows.