Colin Kaepernick is leveraging AI to help storytellers with his new venture, Lumi. Following his NFL departure after kneeling in protest of police brutality and racial injustice, Kaepernick has focused on new ventures, including joining Naomi Osaka’s skincare company, KINLÒ, and releasing a children’s book, “I Color Myself Different.”
“The majority of the world’s stories never come to life. Most people don’t have access or inroads to publishers or platforms — or they may have a gap in their skill set that’s a barrier for them to be able to create,” he told TIME. “We’re going to see a whole new world of stories and perspectives,” Kaepernick said.
Kaepernick faced several challenges with his companies, Ra Vision Media and Kaepernick Publishing, including long production timelines, high costs, and lack of creator ownership. He noted that Lumi aims to address these issues by providing a platform where creators can interact with an AI companion to test and refine ideas. Kaepernick mentioned that feedback from hundreds of creators revealed common pain points such as fundraising, entry barriers, and handling logistics. Lumi aims to help creators thrive by simplifying these processes.
Kaepernick’s latest project, Lumi, raised $4 million in a funding round led by Alexis Ohanian’s Seven Seven Six. Lumi supports creators in launching comics, graphic novels, and manga by allowing them to develop characters and storylines, generate images, and publish their work. The platform also helps creators design and sell merchandise related to their intellectual property using AI.
Featured image: Credit: Paul Marotta
