Ex-Ramp Engineers Raise $20M for AI Ad Platform

Melius, an AI platform for generating ad campaigns, images, and videos, has raised $25 million total, including a $20 million Series A led by CRV and a $5 million seed round led by General Catalyst. The New York startup was founded by three former Ramp engineers who scrapped their original AI performance marketing tool after six months, burning the entire codebase to pivot toward creative asset generation. Melius claims over $1 million in annualized revenue within two months of its July stealth launch. Competitors include Higgsfield, valued at $5.4 billion, plus Krea and Flora AI.