How AI Could Empower Artists, Not Replace Them

VC firm Index Ventures took a flier on Jordan Taylor’s Vizcom in a $20 million round, knowing the former Nvidia industrial designer and art school grad had little business experience. But Index bet he had the grit to make it happen. He had developed an AI-powered tool that could turn simple sketches into 3D designs, enabling designers to speed through product iterations. Investing his life savings and eating many a Costco hot dog to stay on budget, he and cofounder Kaelan Richards, 29, launched Vizcom in 2021, joined startup accelerator AI Grant, and lined up Ford and New Balance as customers before approaching Index earlier this year. Today, Vizcom has some 65 customers: Enterprises pay up to $1 million a year for its software, while smaller users pay $49 per person per month. “I’m an artist and designer. I’m trying to solve a problem for myself,” says Taylor, whose startup is currently valued at $100 million. “What does it mean for the economy or the world when anyone can make their own products?”