Colin Kaepernick Has Founded An AI Startup To Democratize Manga Creation
Images via TCD/Prod.DB / Alamy Stock Photo and Lumi Story AI
Colin Kaepernick’s name has become synonymous with activism, but the former NFL quarterback is taking his fight for equality to a new field: storytelling. His latest Hail Mary is Lumi Story AI, a subscription platform designed to level the playing field for aspiring comic book creators and graphic novelists.
Lumi Story AI is a subscription-based platform for natural storytellers, especially those who have faced barriers in traditional publishing, with the aim of opening up new avenues for diverse, gender-bending narratives to flourish.
https://www.lumistory.ai/
Meet Lumi's founder: Colin Kaepernick @Kaepernick7
— Seven Seven Six 7ï¸âƒ£7ï¸âƒ£6ï¸âƒ£ (@sevensevensix) July 24, 2024
You may already know him as the quarterback for the 49ers, leading the team to their first Super Bowl since 1994.
What you may *not* know is that he is also a visionary founder with a passion for both justice + storytelling ↓ pic.twitter.com/AbvNZSQWyk
Lumi is built on foundational AI models, though Kaepernick keeps the technical details a secret. Users interact with an AI chatbot for character creation, backstory development, and narrative building. An image-generation tool helps illustrate their stories, resulting in hybrid written-illustrated narratives across genres like comics, graphic novels, and manga.
The tool’s real power lies in its ability to bridge the gap between raw talent and professional polish, whether you’re a seasoned athlete with a superhero story brewing or a social media whiz with a knack for dialogue. Creators can publish and distribute their work directly on the platform, order physical copies, and even create merchandise—all without needing the approval of an editor.
Kaepernick envisions Lumi as a full-fledged media company, eventually expanding into video content. But for now, the focus is on empowering comic creators, particularly those with a passion for the vibrant world of manga. Lumi officially launched on Wednesday, July 24, backed by a cool US$4 million from Alexis Ohania’s Seven Seven Six fund. With Kaepernick at the helm, Lumi presents a frontier of possibilities for budding creators to rewrite the narrative, one panel at a time.
[via TIME, Fast Company, TechCrunch, images via various sources]
