Runway (company)

Runway AI, Inc. (also known as Runway and RunwayML) is an American company headquartered in New York City that specializes in generative artificial intelligence research and technologies. The company is primarily focused on creating products for generating videos, images, and various multimedia content through developing commercial text-to-video and video generative AI models.

Runway's tools and AI models have been utilized in films such as Everything Everywhere All at Once, and in editing television shows like The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

The company was founded in 2018 by the Chileans Cristóbal Valenzuela, Alejandro Matamala and the Greek Anastasis Germanidis after they met at New York University Tisch School of the Arts ITP. Runway is focused on generative AI for video, media, and art. The company develops proprietary foundational model technology used in filmmaking, post-production, advertising, editing, and visual effects. Additionally, Runway offers an iOS app aimed at consumers.

The company raised US$2 million in seed funding in 2018 to develop a platform for deploying machine learning models within multimedia applications.

In December 2020, Runway raised US$8.5 million in a Series A funding round.

In December 2021, the company raised US$35 million in a Series B funding round.

On December 21, 2022, Runway raised US$50 million in a Series C round. This was followed by a $141 million Series C extension round in June 2023 at a $1.5 billion valuation from Google, Nvidia, and Salesforce to build foundational multimodal AI models for content generation.

On 3 April 2025, Runway raised $308 million in a funding round led by General Atlantic, valuing it at over $3 billion.

In August 2022, the company co-released an improved version of their latent diffusion model called Stable Diffusion, an open-source deep learning text-to-image model developed with the CompVis Group at LMU Munich and supported by compute from Stability AI.

In August 2025, Runway partnered with IMAX to screen AI Film Festival winners in 10 major cities across the United States. IMAX Chief Content Officer, Jonathan Fischer, said of the partnership, “The IMAX Experience has typically been reserved for the world’s most accomplished and visionary filmmakers. We’re excited to open our aperture and use our platform to experiment with a new kind of creator, as storytelling and technology converge in an entirely new way.”

In June 2025, AMC Networks became the first cable company to formally partner with Runway for AI-powered content creation. The partnership focuses on using Runway's technology to generate marketing images and help pre-visualize shows before production begins. According to AMC Networks executive Stephanie Mitchko, the partnership aims to "enhance both how we market and how we create" while providing creative partners with tools to "fully realize the stories they want to tell."

In September 2024, Runway announced a partnership with Lionsgate Entertainment to create a custom AI video generation model trained on the studio's proprietary catalog of over 20,000 film and television titles. The custom model is designed exclusively for Lionsgate's use and cannot be accessed by other Runway users.

The partnership allows Lionsgate filmmakers, directors, and creative talent to use AI-generated cinematic video for pre-production and post-production processes.

Runway has partnered with the Tribeca Film Festival since 2024 to showcase AI-generated films and explore the integration of artificial intelligence in filmmaking. The collaboration includes a programming partnership called "Human Powered," which features short films and music videos created using AI tools, followed by Q&A sessions with filmmakers.

The Tribeca Film Festival is also a recurring partner at Runway’s AI Film Festival. The partnership has grown significantly, with Runway's AI Film Festival receiving around 3,000 submissions in 2024, a ten-fold increase from the previous year. Tribeca CEO Jane Rosenthal has emphasized the importance of working directly with AI companies to foster dialogue about the technology's role in filmmaking rather than avoiding or fighting it.

Runway is incorporated into design and filmmaking curricula at major universities, such as the NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

Runway has hosted an annual AI Film Festival (AIFF) since 2023 to showcase films created using artificial intelligence tools. The festival has experienced dramatic growth, expanding from 300 submissions and screenings in small New York City theaters in its inaugural year to over 6,000 submissions by 2025. The 2025 festival culminated in a sold-out screening at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, drawing filmmakers and audiences from around the world.

The festival serves as a platform for emerging filmmakers to explore the creative possibilities of AI-assisted storytelling and is considered by many to have become a significant event in the intersection of technology and cinema.

Runway organizes the Gen:48 short film competition, a filmmaking challenge that gives participants 48 hours and AI generation credits to create short films between 1–4 minutes in length. The competition format is designed to encourage experimentation with AI tools under time constraints, fostering innovation in AI-assisted filmmaking. Participants receive Runway credits and temporary unlimited access to Runway's tools during the 48-hour period, and winners receiving prizes including cash prizes, Runway credits, and the opportunity to screen their films at the AI Film Festival.

In June 2023 Runway was selected as one of the 100 Most Influential Companies in the world by Time magazine.

• Official website
• Runway AI Film Festival
• Runway for Educators