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Sekai
Founded 2023 · 32 employees on LinkedIn · 12 known investors
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Sekai is an AI-powered platform where users create, remix, and share interactive mini-apps instantly without coding, ranging from utilities to games. The platform enables direct participation and collaboration through shareable links that friends can join immediately.
Also known as sekaiapp.com
Founders & leadership
Sekai was founded in 2023 by Kaiser Kim, Lucky Z., and Azhar Deen.
Investors · 12
How we know: 359 Capital's portfolio page · research · finance.yahoo.com · Not right? Tell us
How we know: A16Z Speedrun's portfolio page · research · finance.yahoo.com · Not right? Tell us
How we know: Connect Ventures's portfolio page · Not right? Tell us
How we know: Makers Fund's portfolio page · Not right? Tell us
How we know: the VCSheet dataset · research · finance.yahoo.com · Not right? Tell us
How we know: research · finance.yahoo.com · Not right? Tell us
How we know: open dataset · investor-profiles · Not right? Tell us
How we know: a partner's Signal profile · Not right? Tell us
How we know: funding news · research · finance.yahoo.com · Not right? Tell us
Also in the syndicate · 2
Funding
SEC filings, press & company announcementsSource: company announcements and press reports — follow each round's link for the claim.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Sekai is a consumer creation platform for AI-generated software. Users describe an idea in a text prompt and the platform turns it into a playable, shareable mini-app within seconds; users can also play and remix apps made by others. Typical creations span games, memes, art, fan tools, niche utilities, quizzes and interactive greeting cards, with suggested prompts including outfit-picking assistants and personality quizzes. The product is distributed as an iOS and Android app.
The company was founded in 2024 and is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, with the a16z speedrun profile and one funding report listing Sunnyvale, California; the team is remote-first. Sekai, which means "world" in Japanese, initially focused on anime fan-fiction experiences and positioned itself as building "the next TikTok for interactive content," before broadening into general app creation after AI coding models improved. As of the June 2026 announcement the team was hiring across engineering and product roles.
Founding story
Sekai was founded in 2024 by Lucky Zhang, who serves as founder and CEO, alongside co-founder Arthur Cheung, a founding member of TikTok and former country manager for TikTok India. Sekai is Zhang's fourth company: his video e-commerce company Yi+ AI was acquired by Apple in 2017; his Latin America short-video platform Blacktail was acquired by ByteDance in 2020; and he founded NCT, a Vietnamese music streaming service that continues to operate. The founding team is described as composed of TikTok veterans, and the company began with anime fan fiction as its initial content format.
Business model
Sekai operates a consumer platform distributed through mobile app stores (iOS and Android) on which users generate and share AI-created mini-apps. The company has stated plans to help creators earn money through apps and interactive fan experiences built on the platform, and is pursuing creator and celebrity partnerships via Connect Ventures' relationship with Creative Artists Agency.
Sources describe plans to enable creator monetization through apps and interactive fan experiences built on Sekai; no current revenue streams or pricing are disclosed.
Traction
Users have created more than 15 million mini-apps, with more than 200,000 new apps generated per day — roughly one every half-second — and average usage reported at more than one hour per day. One example cited is a Coachella 2026 lineup personality quiz built by a Los Angeles user that was played by 50,000 people within a weekend.
Latest developments
In June 2026 Sekai announced $26 million in total seed and Series A funding, comprising a $20 million Series A co-led by Keith Rabois of Khosla Ventures and Nicole Quinn of Connect Ventures with new investors 359 Capital, Parable VC and 645 Ventures, and an earlier Mayfield-led seed round with a16z speedrun, A* and MVP Ventures returning. Proceeds are earmarked for scaling engineering and product and for creator partnerships with Creative Artists Agency.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Sekai positions AI-generated mini-apps as a new consumer content format comparable to microblogging or short-form mobile video, describing itself as building the next TikTok for interactive content. Investors cite its format, product velocity and engagement metrics as differentiators among consumer AI startups.
Sekai emphasizes active creation and remixing rather than passive feed consumption, producing playable interactive apps rather than static media, and combines a founding team of TikTok veterans with reported engagement of over an hour per user per day.
Technology
The platform applies AI code-generation models to convert natural-language prompts into working, playable mini-apps in seconds, with remixing of existing apps supported. The company states its expansion beyond anime fan fiction followed significant improvements in AI coding models.
Go-to-market
Distribution is direct-to-consumer through the iOS and Android apps, with growth driven by highly shareable user creations such as interactive birthday cards and quizzes that spread socially. The company plans to deepen cultural creator partnerships through Creative Artists Agency, an investor in co-lead Connect Ventures, including potential creator and celebrity collaborations.
Mainstream consumers who want to create and share interactive content without coding, including younger social-media users, fandom and anime communities, and creators; the platform's early adoption included individuals building quizzes, memes, fan tools and interactive birthday cards.
Geography
Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area (San Francisco/Sunnyvale, California) with a remote-first team; the company states it will use the funding to scale global engineering and product teams.
History
Founded in 2024, Sekai started with anime fan-fiction interactive experiences and was part of a16z speedrun's cohort 003. It raised a $6 million seed round led by Mayfield in 2025. After AI coding models improved, the company expanded from anime fan fiction into broader prompt-based app creation. In June 2026 it announced $26 million in combined seed and Series A funding, including a $20 million Series A co-led by Khosla Ventures and Connect Ventures, disclosed alongside metrics of more than 15 million user-created mini-apps.
Risks & controversies
The June 2026 funding announcement carried on Yahoo Finance was distributed as a paid press release, with the distributor stating it had not independently verified the funding, user metrics or other claims in the release. Reported totals also differ across sources, with one outlet describing total funding of roughly $30 million versus the $26 million stated in the announcement.
Compiled by commissioned research from 7 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 4
launches, deals, and filingsSekai announced $26 million in Seed and Series A funding, including a $20 million Series A co-led by Keith Rabois at Khosla Ventures and Nicole Quinn at Connect Ventures, with new investors 359 Capital, Parable VC and 645 Ventures, and a seed round led by Navin Chaddha at Mayfield with a16z speedrun, A* and MVP Ventures returning. Funds are to scale engineering and product and deepen creator partnerships with Creative Artists Agency.
$26M source ↗
Through Connect Ventures, a joint investment firm formed by Creative Artists Agency and New Enterprise Associates, Sekai is pursuing creator and celebrity partnerships via CAA relationships.
Blacktail, a Latin America-based short-video platform founded by Lucky Zhang, was acquired by TikTok parent ByteDance.
Prior company of Sekai founder and CEO Lucky Zhang, Yi+ AI, was acquired by Apple.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 7
primary sources listed
- Sekai Raises $26M in Seed and Series A as Users Create, Play, and Remix 15 Million Mini-Appsfinance.yahoo.com · web
7 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Sekai do?
- Sekai is a consumer platform where users create, remix and play AI-generated interactive mini-apps from text prompts.
- Who founded Sekai?
- Sekai was founded by Kaiser Kim, Lucky Z., Azhar Deen in 2023.
- Who are Sekai's investors?
- Sekai's investors include 359 Capital, A16Z Speedrun, Connect Ventures, Makers Fund, MVP Ventures, 645 Ventures, A*, Connect Ventures and 2 more.