London-based
startup First Concepts, an AI-powered workspace for early-stage creative work,
has raised $1 million in pre-seed funding less than nine months after its
founding. The round was led by Arāya Ventures alongside Antler. Additional
participants included industry leaders such as Jez Jowett (former Managing
Partner at Havas), Nathan McDonald (founder of We Are Social), Sean Williams and
Sam Winward (partners at UNKNOWN), and Hugo Rodger Brown (founder of YunoJuno).
Creative
agencies often work on multiple pitches each month, investing significant time
and resources in the process. However, much of this time is spent rebuilding
context across fragmented tools and systems.
First
Concepts aims to address this challenge by introducing an AI layer that sits
above existing tools and coordinates leading AI models through a shared context
and “taste” framework. This approach helps creative teams maintain consistency
in ideas, brand identity, and decision-making throughout the pitching process.
Founded
by Conor Hoey, Polina Sali, and Marin Godechot, who bring experience in design,
AI, and product development, First Concepts has developed a system that brings
context and creative judgment to the development of pitches.
The
product is built around three core components: a Creative DNA engine that
learns individual and brand preferences, a unified interface that treats
context as the central source of information, and a tool-agnostic
infrastructure that connects creative tools while maintaining coherence across
outputs.
Explaining
the company’s vision, Conor Hoey, co-founder and CEO of First Concepts, said:
First
Concepts has a simple mission to transform creative context from something
fragile and ephemeral into a structured, compounding asset. We are building an
operating system that understands the value of creative thinking and taste.
This will transform creative workflows for teams around the world.
The new
funding will be used to further develop the company’s AI-native workspace for
creative work.