Australian startup Leonardo.Ai has secured a hefty AU$47 million (US$31 million) in funding, marking a significant milestone in the company's journey. The Generative AI (GenAI) content production platform, which aids creators in ideating, conceptualising, and creating content, has seen a meteoric rise since its inception last year.

The funding round saw participation from a diverse group of investors, including Blackbird, Side Stage Ventures, Smash Capital, TIRTA Ventures, Gaorong Capital, and Samsung Next. This financial injection is set to further propel Leonardo.Ai's mission of 'empowering creativity,' as stated by CEO and co-founder JJ Fiasson.

'Our mission is to empower creativity — whether you’re a novice who loves art or a professional who creates every day. Leonardo.Ai helps fuel both. We’re helping democratise creativity by lowering the barrier to entry, and we’re also accelerating creative productivity for professionals,' Fiasson said.

Since its launch, Leonardo.Ai has amassed 7 million users worldwide, generating over 700 million images. The platform's popularity spans across various industries, including entertainment, fashion design, advertising, and architecture, demonstrating its versatility and broad appeal.

The company recently unveiled Realtime Canvas, a tool that transforms user input into polished illustrations, designs, photography, and more in real-time. This innovative feature is expected to further enhance the creative process for users.

Leonardo.Ai is also launching its primary Enterprise offering, which includes collaborative tools for teams and private cloud infrastructure. This move signals the company's ambition to cater to larger organisations and teams, expanding its reach beyond individual creators.

The company has also bolstered its leadership team with the hiring of Donna Thomas, formerly of AWS and Antler, as Chief of Staff, and Ellie Miller, formerly of Depop and Oodle, as Chief People Officer.

Niki Scevak, Partner at Blackbird, noted Leonardo.Ai's rapid growth and expansion. 'Leonardo.Ai has enjoyed an unprecedented beginning to its life, from a few thousand users when we first met the team ten months ago to over six million now. Even more impressive has been the speed in which the product has been expanded to serve a wide variety of industries, showcasing their growing ambition,' Scevak said.