Runway started by helping filmmakers – now it wants to beat Google at AI
Runway, an AI video-generation startup, aims to revolutionize artificial intelligence by focusing on video and world models rather than traditional language models. Founded in 2018 by three creatives from NYU, the company has gained traction in the film industry with its innovative tools. With a valuation of $5.3 billion, Runway is now expanding its technology to include world models, competing with major players like Google.
- ▪Runway was founded in 2018 by three individuals from Chile and Greece who met at NYU.
- ▪The company has developed video-generation models and tools that have been used in films like 'Everything Everywhere All At Once.'
- ▪Runway is valued at $5.3 billion and reported $40 million in annual recurring revenue in the second quarter of 2026.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Loading the player… var playerInstance_31161501 = jwplayer( "jwppp-video-31161501" ); playerInstance_31161501.setup({ playlist: "https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/lyhegSq1", }) AI video-generation startup Runway doesn’t have the typical Silicon Valley pedigree. No Stanford founders, no ex-Google founders, no nine-figure seed round that bought them time to ignore revenue. Its three founders — two from Chile, one from Greece — met at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and built the company in New York. Runway also could be, depending on who you ask, one of the most consequential AI companies today. Not because of what it has built, but because of what it is trying to build next. For the past several years, the AI industry has largely operated on the premise that intelligence lives in language.
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