Wonder funding news – London-based Wonder Secures €2.6 Million in Pre-Seed Funding

The funding round was led by LocalGlobe and Blackbird, with support from well-known names like the co-founder of ElevenLabs, OpenAI’s Head of Startups, the CEO of Campfire Studios, Google DeepMind’s Design Lead, and others.

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Xavier Collins, Co-founder and CEO of Wonder said, “We’re at an inflection point in history where the power to craft and create visually striking stories is being rapidly democratised through technology, Storytelling should be about creativity, not overcoming financial and logistical barriers. We’re unearthing the next generation of talent and partnering with the traditional industry to unlock new avenues of creativity and empowering them to do more with less.”

Justin Hackney, Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at Wonder said, “The cost of high-end TV and film production typically ranges from $500k to $1 million per minute, and using AI, we can bring that down to $10k–$20k per minute, Traditional creative pipelines are too slow, expensive, and gatekept for the pace of AI-native storytelling. Wonder is being built to enable faster production at scale, global collaboration, and fairer ownership for the next generation of creators and entertainment.”

Ziv Reichert, Partner at LocalGlobe said, “AI is fundamentally changing how film is produced, and Wonder is operating at the forefront of this shift, We believe they’re building what a 21st century studio should look like: capital-light, AI-first, and built to elevate creative talent rather than replace it. Their model empowers an entirely new generation to tell stories – ones that would otherwise never see the light of day.”

Wonder says that in 2023, €213 billion was spent worldwide on film and TV production. But old systems are slowing down creativity, and 90% of scripts never get made due to high costs or industry gatekeeping.

With AI expected to grow to €87 billion in media and entertainment by 2030, and €25 billion in advertising by 2033, the market has huge potential.

Sam Wong, Partner at Blackbird said, “Blackbird is honored to be partnering with Xavier and Justin as they bring their global film, tech, and AI experience together to form Wonder, We love partnering from the very beginning and are excited by their human-centred approach to creative output, augmented by AI.”

Mati Stanszewski, Co-founder of ElevenLabs said, “Wonder is building a future where technology amplifies human storytelling, giving rise to voices and stories that were previously impossible to tell, This is exactly the kind of bold, forward-thinking studio the industry needs, and I’m excited to see them shape the next era of entertainment.”

Wonder already works with partners like ElevenLabs, Campfire Studios, Ravensbourne University, Freepik, and more.

About Wonder

Founded in 2025 by Xavier Collins and Justin Hackney, Wonder is an AI-driven creative studio aiming to reinvent how films and stories are made. They combine traditional filmmaking with AI to make storytelling more innovative, inclusive, and efficient.