San Francisco–based startup GIGR, operating as Playad, announced it has secured $5. 4 million in pre-seed funding to speed up the development of AI-powered marketing agents aimed at helping companies create, test, and optimize advertising creatives with reduced manual effort. The funding round was led by BRV Capital Management and Mirae Asset Venture Investment, alongside participation from angel investors such as Krafton board member Bora Chung, Hyprsense founder Jihun Yu, and Krew Capital, the company stated. GIGR is building an AI-native, multi-agent workflow covering the entire advertising creative lifecycle—from briefing and production to experimentation, measurement, and iteration. According to the company, current marketing tools remain fragmented, compelling teams to depend on slow handoffs and retrospective analyses with limited guidance on what creative to produce next. The startup’s initial product, Playad, launched in Q3 2025, initially targets interactive advertising formats, particularly within gaming. These interactive ads often yield higher conversion rates and lower cost-per-install by enabling users to engage directly with products, while providing detailed performance data like user taps and choices. Though effective, interactive ads have traditionally been costly and slow to create, requiring specialized development expertise. GIGR claims Playad allows marketers to quickly build and iterate interactive ads, converting creative production into a repeatable, test-driven process at a fraction of the usual cost. The platform is designed to facilitate rapid A/B testing and experimentation and is being developed to expand beyond interactive ads into image and video formats within a unified system. Founded by a seven-member team with diverse backgrounds in gaming, AI, finance, and major tech companies, including former executives from Bagelcode, Bank of America, YouTube, and PlayStation, GIGR is well-positioned in the space. The funding highlights growing investor interest in AI agents that extend beyond mere content generation to include decision-making and iteration. By focusing on interactive ads—where performance signals are clearer—GIGR is betting that automation and faster feedback loops can significantly enhance return on ad spend, especially in gaming and performance-oriented marketing sectors.