TL;DR: Slovenian Startup Katalist Raises €1.28M to Revolutionize Video Production with AI
Katalist, a creative tech startup founded in 2023, secured €1.28M in seed funding to develop its AI-powered video production operating system, simplifying workflows for creators and agencies.
• Automates end-to-end video production, including storyboarding and shot lists, while retaining creative control.
• Focuses on scalability and solving pain points for 250,000+ users already on board.
• Offers accessible tools for non-technical creatives and seamless global collaboration.
Founders Andraž Zvonar and Blaž Blokar’s clear market focus and early validation serve as lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs. Start small, address specific problems, and scale strategically. Embrace AI to innovate effectively in your niche. For more insights or mentorship, connect through the Fe/male Switch platform.
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On December 18, 2025, a Slovenian-founded startup named Katalist made headlines by raising €1.28M in seed funding to develop a new kind of video production operating system. As a serial entrepreneur and startup mentor, I often wonder: what causes some startups to thrive while others fizzle out? Katalist provides an intriguing case study, particularly for founders seeking to blend creativity and technology in innovative ways.
What is Katalist, and Why is It a Big Deal?
Founded in 2023 by Andraž Zvonar and Blaž Blokar, Katalist is a platform designed to solve one of the biggest challenges in video production, automation without losing creative control. The company’s “video production operating system” isn’t just about making video production faster; it’s about building a structured workflow powered by artificial intelligence. This means turning scripts into storyboards, creating seamless shot lists, and delivering polished videos, all within a single platform. For content creators and agencies, this pitches the dream: more output, less stress.
The €1.28M investment was led by South Central Ventures and will primarily be used to scale the platform and expand its reach into enterprise markets. With over 250,000 users already on board, including marketers and film production teams, Katalist represents a rising trend in creative tech startups leveraging AI to solve industry pain points.
Why Katalist Stands Out in the AI and SaaS Market
Video content continues to dominate the internet, both in marketing and entertainment, and with it comes insatiable demand for faster, higher-quality production. Traditional tools often cater to only one part of the process: script writing, editing, or rendering. What Katalist stands to do is unify and automate the full end-to-end workflow, combining speed and creativity in a way most tools haven’t achieved yet.
- Consistency in character and storyline: Katalist includes tools to ensure visual consistency, which is notoriously difficult in generative AI projects.
- Accessible for non-technical creatives: The platform bridges the gap between software capabilities and creative control.
- Global scalability and collaboration: Remote teams can work together seamlessly, regardless of geographic location.
For founders, this is a great example of identifying a clear pain point and offering a tech-enabled solution that merges usability with advanced automation.
How Did They Secure €1.28M in Funding?
Raising funding in today’s competitive landscape is no easy feat, so how did Katalist manage to stand out? Their approach offers key takeaways for startup founders:
- Targeted market solutions: By focusing on enterprise-level scalability, Katalist demonstrated a clear path to high-value customers.
- Established traction: A user base of 250,000+ professionals validated the demand for their platform.
- Industry-specific differentiation: Their system addresses specific pain points in video production that many creative teams face, from constancy issues to tight production timelines.
- Experienced founding team: Founders Andraž Zvonar and Blaž Blokar brought not only technical expertise but also a clear vision for addressing inefficiencies in the creative sector.
On top of these elements, Katalist cleverly pitched itself as part of the broader movement toward AI-driven creative tools, attracting forward-thinking investors such as South Central Ventures.
What Can Other Startups Learn from Katalist?
The success of Katalist offers lessons that apply far beyond video production. As someone who’s worked with startups across Europe, one undeniable trend I’ve witnessed is the shift toward AI and automation in creative industries. Here are the major takeaways for founders looking to replicate this success:
- Focus on a niche problem: Katalist didn’t try to solve all video production woes; they honed in on the workflow challenge, which gave them a clear edge.
- Validate early: Having a live product with an extensive user base before approaching investors puts you miles ahead of the competition.
- Use automation as a value driver: Whether your startup is in creative tech, healthcare, or fintech, identify time-draining manual processes and pitch an automated alternative.
- Think globally: With a small team, Katalist operates globally, a real testament to the scalability of remote entrepreneurship.
Challenges Ahead
No startup journey is without its hurdles, and Katalist will no doubt face pressure as they move into enterprise markets. Competing with well-funded incumbents, maintaining quality alongside scale, and proving ROI to larger clients will be critical. In my experience, startups often underestimate the complexity of moving from a limited user base to enterprise-level solutions. That said, their strong foundation gives them a real fighting chance.
Final Thoughts
As we look at startups like Katalist redefining the way industries operate, one thing is certain: the future belongs to those who can blend technology with creativity. For founders aspiring to replicate their success, my advice is simple, identify inefficiencies, validate with real users, and start small before scaling up. If you’d like to see more insights like these or need mentorship on your startup journey, feel free to connect with me through the Fe/male Switch platform.
FAQ on Slovenian Katalist's €1.28M Funding for Video Production OS
What is Katalist?
Katalist is a Slovenian-founded startup aiming to revolutionize video production with an AI-powered “video production operating system.” Founded in 2023 by Andraž Zvonar and Blaž Blokar, Katalist automates workflows like script-to-storyboard conversions to ensure seamless video production. As a SaaS platform, it provides tools to maintain creative control while enhancing efficiency, helping over 250,000 professionals. Learn more about Katalist on The Recursive.
Why is their €1.28M seed funding significant?
The €1.28M raised primarily from South Central Ventures marks a critical milestone for Katalist, especially in scaling its AI-powered platform and extending services to enterprise-level clients. This funding leverages the growing demand for scalable, AI-driven solutions in creative industries. It highlights investor faith in Katalist's unique product offering amidst a competitive market. Read insights from Business Wire.
How does Katalist help video production teams?
Katalist addresses major pain points in video production, including tight timelines, high costs, and manual workflows. By offering automation tools for creating shotlists, consistent characters, and polished videos, Katalist enables teams to focus more on creativity. It bridges the gap for non-technical creators through user-friendly AI features. Discover Katalist’s benefits.
Who are Katalist’s primary users?
The platform caters to diverse professionals, including creative agencies, content marketers, and film production teams. With over 250,000 users globally, including SMEs and enterprise clients, Katalist’s toolset appeals to those seeking streamlined workflows without compromising creativity. Explore Katalist’s user base.
What sets Katalist apart from other video production tools?
Unlike traditional tools that focus on fragmented parts of video production, Katalist provides an end-to-end platform addressing scriptwriting, storyboarding, editing, and rendering. Its AI ensures consistency in visuals, minimizes manual intervention, and fosters global collaborations. This consolidates functions often spread across multiple tools into one efficient system. Learn what makes Katalist unique on The SaaS News.
How does Katalist leverage AI effectively?
Artificial intelligence in Katalist transforms complex scripts into visual outputs seamlessly. It autonomously generates storyboards, shotlists, and videos, while maintaining high quality and creative integrity. By solving consistency challenges, it establishes itself as an indispensable tool for video creators. Explore Katalist’s AI-driven features.
How did Katalist attract investors like South Central Ventures?
Katalist demonstrated a clear value proposition that blends AI, scalability, and real-world applications. A robust user base of over 250,000, combined with a problem-focused solution for video production woes, appealed to forward-thinking investors. Their efforts to validate early-stage products further reinforced confidence. State more insights on The Recursive.
What challenges does Katalist face moving forward?
Entering enterprise markets presents hurdles like scaling operations, competition from well-established AI SaaS platforms, and demonstrating ROI to large-scale clients. However, its strong founding vision and proven traction highlight its potential for overcoming such obstacles as it grows.
How can startups learn from Katalist’s success?
Startups can focus on niche problems like Katalist did with workflows in video production. Combine early product validation with clear scalability plans and leverage industry-specific issues to build impactful solutions using innovative technologies like AI. Validate ideas, iterate, and grow globally.
What industries can benefit from Katalist’s video production OS?
Beyond marketing and film production, sectors like education, e-commerce, entertainment, and even healthcare can utilize the platform for creating engaging visual content, training modules, or high-quality promotional videos. This broad appeal positions Katalist’s solution across multiple verticals within the creative industry.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the “gamepreneurship” methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the point of view of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
