ChatCut, a conversational AI platform for video editing, has raised US$1.35 million in seed funding to accelerate product development and global expansion. The round was led by ZhenFund, with participation from Antler. Founded by filmmakers Kaiwen Li and Alima Strickland, ChatCut enables users to transform natural-language prompts into professional video edits, reducing hours of manual work to just minutes.
Li and Strickland, who have previously created content for VICE, Discovery Channel, Airbnb, Gucci, and Chanel, developed ChatCut after experiencing the time-intensive nature of post-production first-hand. Their short film, “I Just Want to Be Wanted,” was featured at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, and they received a Telly Award bronze for Best Documentary Series in 2024.
Erik Jonsson, Partner at Antler, said, “From the first time we met Kaiwen and Alima, it was clear they weren’t just chasing a trend. They were solving a deep, lived problem that every editor and filmmaker could relate to. Backing them at the inception stage made perfect sense. Seeing how fast they’ve translated that into real traction, happy customers, and now institutional backing is exactly why we do what we do.”
AI-powered video editing through conversation
ChatCut allows users to upload footage and issue text-based commands such as “Find all mentions of entrepreneurship” or “Turn this 3-hour podcast into a highlight reel.” These conversational prompts automate complex editing tasks like sequencing, pacing, and story structuring. The process, which could traditionally take an entire day, can now be completed in about 10 minutes.
Co-founder Alima Strickland said, “We’re democratising editing capabilities and enabling world-class editing judgment into an intelligent agent anyone can access through conversation. For teams, that means faster outcomes; for newcomers, it means editing is no longer a barrier to publishing.”
With video becoming the default medium for online communication, AI-assisted tools are evolving from simple plug-ins into comprehensive editing companions. ChatCut’s conversational AI helps teams save time by automatically generating first cuts and managing large video libraries. Businesses are also using AI tools like ChatCut to streamline review cycles, maintain brand consistency, and localise content efficiently.
Yuan Liu, Managing Partner at ZhenFund, added, “The best founders often come from unexpected backgrounds. Kaiwen and the team’s experience in content creation gives them an unfair advantage: they’re building for users they truly understand. Combined with their ability to leverage AI and move at lightning speed, they represent the future of AI-native entrepreneurship.”
Expanding beyond editing
ChatCut plans to extend its AI capabilities beyond video editing to a full-suite video creation platform that supports recorded, AI-generated, and hybrid content. The funding will be used to expand the engineering team, scale infrastructure, and enhance platform functionality to meet growing international demand.
Winnie Khoo, Partner at Antler, said, “GenAI has crossed into everyday marketing and product work. ChatCut translates that capability into outcomes teams can publish today. The next step, and what this round enables, is pushing that experience into more formats, more integrations, and more markets.”
The company is currently hiring AI and full-stack engineers to accelerate product development and innovation. ChatCut continues to position itself as a tool that empowers both professionals and newcomers to edit and publish videos with ease, speed, and creative control.
