French fashiontech BLNG has raised $3M to accelerate its commercialisation phase and provide generative AI to the jewelry industry.
The investment round, led by Speedinvest, with additional participation from Cove Fund, eSeed, and Focal, will enable BLNG to expand its team in Europe and the U.S., scaling its AI-powered tools and preparing for the broader launch of its subscription-based app.
Founded by Valérie Leblond, ex-Cirque du Soleil, and Dumëne Comploi, ex-Disney Imagineering, BLNG AI has developed a suite of tools for jewelry professionals to design products. By transforming jewelry sketches into photorealistic designs, it significantly reduces the design process.
The technology is already being piloted by major luxury brands. BLNG won the prestigious LVMH Innovation Award for Data and Artificial Intelligence solutions at Viva Tech and was included in Vogue Business’s 2024 list of "100 Innovators," underscoring its growing influence in the $482B jewelry market.
"Gone are the days of endless revisions and painstaking rendering processes," said Valérie Leblond, Co-founder and CEO of BLNG.
"We've reshaped the design process for jewelry professionals by bringing sketches to life through advanced AI tools. Our technology enables creative teams to instantly visualize their concepts with exceptional precision, giving them more time to design, experiment, and collaborate instead of waiting for manual iterations. Our vision with both our funding and app launch is to broaden access to these powerful tools for jewelry creators at every level, from major luxury houses to independent designers."
The timing of BLNG's innovation is especially relevant as the jewelry market faces significant challenges, including declining diamond prices and growing pressure on brands to innovate and differentiate. As part of this, a growing number of luxury houses are increasingly adopting AI technologies to streamline design and production processes. According to a recent Bain & Company report, 78 percent of large luxury brands have listed AI as one of their top strategic priorities for the next three years.
“We fell in love with BLNG when they showcased their solution with infectious passion combined with a pipeline of the Top Tier Luxury Brands. Operating in the luxury and jewelry industry requires the highest quality, innovation, and trust – three components the founders executed extremely well on,” said Max Wilhelm, a partner at Speedinvest.
“The jewelry market is at an inflection point, and BLNG is ideally positioned to lead this technological evolution,” Wilhelm added.
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