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Giant

Category: AI in Education

An AI-powered interactive storytelling platform that transforms children aged 3-8 from passive screen consumers into active creators by allowing them to become characters in personalized stories, interact with AI characters who remember them, and design their own adventures. Giant was founded in 2024. The company is led by John Kobs. Based in San Francisco, United States. Team size: 2-10. Total funding raised: $8.0M. Latest round: Seed round. Key investors include ["Matrix","Decasonic","Griffin Gaming Partners","Perceptive Ventures","Flex Capital","Arbitrum Gaming Ventures","Unpopular Ventures","LightShed Ventures"].

Founded
2024
Headquarters
San Francisco, United States
Team size
2-10
Total funding
$8.0M

Value proposition

Transforms passive screen time into active creative experiences by combining emotional intelligence, personalization, and AI designed with parents' trust in mind, allowing children to become the stars of their own stories while fostering social-emotional development.

Products and solutions

["Watch - Personalized animated shows featuring the child as a cartoon character","Talk - Interactive conversations with AI characters who remember previous interactions","Create - Adventure design tools allowing children to build their own episodes and worlds"]

Unique value

Combines adaptive AI personalization that responds to each child's name, voice, and interests with AI characters capable of remembering prior exchanges, creating continuity in storytelling relationships. Platform is built with certified safety standards, no ads, no tracking, and expert-designed content that prioritizes children's social-emotional development.

Target customer

Children aged 3-8 years old and their parents/caregivers seeking safe, educational, and creative screen time alternatives

Industries served

["Children's Interactive Entertainment","AI-Powered Education Technology","Digital Storytelling and Creative Media","Social-Emotional Learning Platforms"]

Technology advantage

Integrates large language model-based character interactions with personalized animation technology and child-safe content filtering to create a parent-trusted, imagination-driven platform. Founder John Kobs' 14-year experience scaling Apartment List to power ~3% of U.S. rental moves provides consumer platform scaling expertise. Selected as Lightspeed Game Changer 2026 winner for Interactive Media category.

How they differentiate

Offers three comprehensive experiences (Watch, Talk, Create) with AI characters who remember previous conversations, personalized animated shows featuring children as characters, and world-building tools—more immersive than single-purpose story generators. Platform is built with certified safety standards including SOC 2 encryption, COPPA certification, no ads/tracking/data collection, and content designed with child-psychology experts. Selected as Lightspeed Game Changers 2026 winner for Interactive Media category.

Main competitors

["StoryBee","Storywizard.ai","Once Upon a Bot","Bedtimestory.ai"]

Key partnerships

["Matrix (Lead Investor)","Decasonic (Lead Investor)","Griffin Gaming Partners (Lead Investor)","Perceptive Ventures","Flex Capital","Arbitrum Gaming Ventures","Unpopular Ventures","LightShed Ventures","Lightspeed Venture Partners (Game Changers Program)"]

Notable customers

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Major milestones

["Company founded in 2024 by John Kobs","Platform launched in May 2025 on iOS and Android","Achieved 1+ million minutes of user interaction and 200,000 personalized episodes","Selected as Lightspeed Game Changers 2026 winner for Interactive Media category","Raised $8M seed funding in February 2026"]

Growth metrics

1M+ minutes of user conversation and 200K+ personalized episodes generated since May 2025 launch. Platform launched on iOS and Android, achieving strong early engagement metrics. Selected as Lightspeed Game Changers 2026 category winner for Interactive Media.

Market positioning

Premium parent-trusted interactive storytelling platform positioned at intersection of children's entertainment, education, and creative media. Distinguished by founder's proven track record (John Kobs previously scaled Apartment List to $600M+ valuation) and comprehensive approach to transforming passive screen time into active creative experiences for children aged 3-8 years.

Geographic focus

North America primary market (San Francisco headquarters), with global reach through iOS and Android mobile applications. Targets English-speaking markets initially with potential for international expansion.

Patents and IP

No registered patents publicly disclosed as of latest update (February 2026)

About John Kobs

Founder and former CEO of Apartment List (2009-2022), leading the online rental marketplace for 14 years and scaling it to power approximately 3% of all rental moves in the United States with $600M+ valuation and 250+ employees. Previously worked in investment banking in NYC (2003-2006). Founded Giant in 2024 to create AI-powered creative storytelling experiences for children, inspired by wanting better digital content for his own kids.

Official website: