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VAST

Category: AI Developer Tools

A generative AI platform that creates production-ready 3D models from text prompts, images, or sketches using state-of-the-art 3D foundation models. VAST was founded in 2023. The company is led by Simon Song. Based in Beijing, China. Team size: 101-500. Total funding raised: ~$843M. Latest round: Series B. Key investors include Matrix Partners China (MPCi), Alibaba, Baidu Ventures, Hengxu Capital, INCE Capital, China Life Insurance, Primavera Capital, Genesis Capital, Eminence Ventures, Beijing Artificial Intelligence Industry Investment Fund, Perfect World, BlueFocus.

AMW Analysis

VAST's platform generates production-ready 3D models from text, image, or sketch inputs using its own foundation models, targeting a sharp reduction in 3D asset creation time and cost through automated texturing, rigging, and retopology. The company's news flow over 2026 shows a rapid succession of funding events: a $50M Series A led by Alibaba and Hengxu Capital in March, at which point its Tripo platform had generated close to 100 million 3D models for 6.5 million creators and released a version capable of producing assets in about two seconds. This was followed in June by roughly $200M in combined A+ and A++ rounds, reported alongside disclosures of a world model roadmap spanning 3D content generation and robotics applications, and coverage describing the company reaching unicorn status. In July, VAST closed a further Series A3 round exceeding 1 billion RMB, this time bringing in strategic backing from Geely alongside gaming and internet investors, broadening its investor base beyond earlier backers such as Baidu Ventures and the Beijing Artificial Intelligence Industry Investment Fund. The cadence of successive rounds within a single year points to sustained fundraising momentum alongside expanding product scope.

AMW analysis, generated from 5 tracked news signals.

Founded
2023
Headquarters
Beijing, China
Team size
101-500
Total funding
~$843M

Value proposition

Reduces 3D content creation time from hours to seconds with AI-powered text-to-3D, image-to-3D, and sketch-to-3D generation, including auto-rigging, texturing, and retopology—delivering production-ready assets at dramatically lower cost.

Products and solutions

Tripo 3.0 (2B parameter 3D foundation model), Tripo Studio (AI-powered all-in-one 3D workspace), Tripo H3.1 (high-fidelity geometry), Tripo P1.0 (production-ready topology-aware meshes), Tripo P2.0 Preview (native quad topology, up to 50K tris / 25K quads), Project Eden (persistent multiplayer world model), Holymolly (3D UGC / TikTok-like platform), TripoSR / TripoSG / TripoSF (open-source foundation models), UniRig (automated 3D rigging), Tripo API Platform, ComfyUI / Blender / Unity / Unreal / Maya / 3ds Max Plugins

Unique value

Industry-leading speed (game-ready 3D models in ~8 seconds), state-of-the-art quality across multiple benchmarks, and comprehensive end-to-end workflow from generation to animation-ready assets. First Chinese entrepreneur to deliver keynote at SIGGRAPH 2023. Generated nearly 100 million 3D models on platform.

Target customer

Game developers, 3D artists and designers, animation studios, gaming companies, VR/AR content creators, 3D printing enthusiasts, e-commerce platforms, and industrial designers

Industries served

Gaming & Interactive Entertainment, Animation & VFX, 3D Printing & Additive Manufacturing, Virtual/Augmented Reality, E-commerce & Retail, Industrial Design, Education & Simulation, Digital Twins

Technology advantage

Proprietary 2-billion parameter 3D foundation model (Tripo 3.0) trained on millions of 3D datasets with 300% improved detail. Innovative architecture combining document image transformer (DiT) for long-range dependencies with U-Net for fine details. SparseFlex representation enables high-resolution modeling up to 1024³. Supports complex internal structures and open surfaces—ending the era of crude 'dough-like' AI-generated models.

How they differentiate

Industry-leading generation speed (~8 seconds for game-ready 3D models), proprietary 2-billion parameter 3D foundation model (Tripo 3.0) with 300% improved detail, comprehensive end-to-end workflow including auto-rigging and texturing, and strong enterprise partnerships with major tech companies. First Chinese entrepreneur to deliver keynote at SIGGRAPH 2023.

Main competitors

Luma AI, Rodin (Hyper3D), Meshy AI

Key partnerships

Stability AI (TripoSR co-development), Sony, Tencent, ByteDance, Microsoft, NetEase (燕云十六声 / 蛋仔派对 integrations), HTC, Alibaba (investor + partner), Perfect World (strategic Series B investor), Geely (Series A3 strategic), ThunderSoft, BlueFocus

Notable customers

Tencent, ByteDance, Microsoft, Sony, HTC, NetEase, Stability AI, Popmart, Bambu Lab, Replit, Alibaba

Major milestones

Founded March 2023 by ex-MiniMax co-founder Simon Song (Song Yachen), First Chinese entrepreneur SIGGRAPH keynote 2023, Pre-A+ tens of millions USD, June 2025, $50M Series A led by Alibaba/Hengxu, March 2026, ~$200M Series A+/A++ led by INCE Capital & China Life; unicorn ≥$1B, June 2026, Launched Project Eden persistent world model, June 2026, ~$150M Series A3 with Geely/gaming strategics, July 2026, ~$446M Series B/B+ led by Matrix Partners China, September 2026, Released Tripo P2.0 Preview (native quad topology), Aug/Sep 2026, 20M+ users, 200M+ 3D models generated, Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia AI 2026 (Simon Song), SIGGRAPH 2025 Real-Time Live Best in Show

Growth metrics

20M+ registered users globally, 90,000+ developers/studios, 700+ enterprise customers, ~$12M ARR (mid-2025), 200M+ 3D models generated, unicorn ($1B+ valuation)

Market positioning

Leading global 3D AI platform with dual HQ in China and US, positioned as the speed and quality leader in native 3D generation. Targeting both consumer creators and enterprise customers with production-ready assets. Expanding into world models and spatial AI infrastructure.

Geographic focus

Primary: China (Beijing, Hangzhou) and US (San Francisco); Secondary: Japan, Korea

Patents and IP

Multiple open-source foundation models released: TripoSR (co-developed with Stability AI), TripoSG (1.5B parameters), TripoSF (ICCV 2025 oral paper), with additional proprietary technology in Tripo 3.0 commercial platform

About Simon Song

Former SenseTime CEO Office executive and AI gaming division leader; Co-founder of Chinese AI unicorn MiniMax (valued in billions, planning Hong Kong IPO); Led multiple AI projects bringing generative AI to animation and gaming industries at SenseTime; First Chinese entrepreneur to deliver keynote at SIGGRAPH 2023; Founded VAST at age 25 in 2023

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