Tech startup AdPipe opens headquarters in South Downtown, raises $12M
South Downtown, one of Atlanta’s oldest commercial districts, was once a hub for entrepreneurial activity — where brands such as furniture store Havertys and former department store Rich’s got their start.
Now, amid a major revitalization, the century-old buildings in this district are filling with founders again.
Video production software startup AdPipe has opened a headquarters in South Downtown, moving its operations from Athens. It now has a standalone office at Atlanta Tech Village‘s South Downtown outpost on the Historic Hotel Row.
Tuesday, AdPipe announced a $12 million Series A round of funding to fuel its growth. The round was led by New York venture capital firm LGVP, with participation from Frame.io founder Emery Wells, Atlanta Ventures, Tom Noonan and Engage VC.
AdPipe has developed an artificial intelligence-powered platform that allows businesses to better search their video libraries and quickly create personalized content. Its clients include Wellstar Health System, Aflac Inc. and Honey Baked Ham Co.
The company was founded by two filmmakers who recognized hours of video footage would often go to waste.
“We now live in a video-first world,” Andrew Levy, AdPipe CEO and co-founder, said in an interview. “Video is the most inefficient product on the planet. … Most shoots capture around 50 hours and use around 5 minutes.”
AdPipe technology can index large quantities of video, “so someone can basically talk to their content library in plain English and instantly find the right clip,” Levy said.
“And we take bits and pieces from all the different videos you’ve ever made, and we assemble a brand new video based on your request,” he said, adding it’s not a generative AI video but created from real footage.
The company says it can reduce the cost per video by 88%.
Wells, founder of Frame.io, a cloud-based video collaboration platform that Adobe acquired, said in a statement that AdPipe’s approach “makes video scalable without losing authenticity.”
AdPipe plans to host an event Oct. 22 to showcase its capabilities, featuring speakers from global brands.
Tech entrepreneurs David Cummings and Jon Birdsong, partners in Atlanta Ventures, a firm whose portfolio includes incubator Atlanta Tech Village, are driving the effort to revitalize South Downtown with startups like AdPipe.
In late 2023, they scooped up dozens of historic buildings on the verge of foreclosure with the vision to create a startup city. They’ve since expanded Atlanta Tech Village to South Downtown and signed restaurants and retailers for the project.
“AdPipe moving to South Downtown is a strong declaration that downtown is for creatives and creators who are telling the stories of today and tomorrow,” Birdsong said in a text message.
“Innovative entrepreneurs built our neighborhood generations ago. Today, it’s exciting for AdPipe to build and scale in South Downtown.”
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