While the spotlight has largely remained fixed on high-profile image generators like DALL·E and Midjourney, one lesser-known startup has quietly outperformed them—both in benchmarks and in business. San Francisco-based Recraft, the company behind a mysterious image model known internally as red_panda, has raised $30 million in a Series B round led by Accel, with backing from Khosla Ventures and Madrona. This comes just months after surpassing 4 million users and reaching over $5 million in annual recurring revenue.
The AI model that put Recraft on the map quietly beat OpenAI’s and Midjourney’s top models in the respected Artificial Analysis benchmark. Its internal name came from early testers who noticed a quirky trend: the AI had a fondness for generating red pandas. But what truly set it apart wasn’t the cuteness—it was control. Unlike typical generative tools, Recraft’s tech is engineered for brand-focused precision. It allows companies to generate content with accurate logo placement, perfect layouts, and alignment with brand guidelines—all without post-production.
That core functionality is reshaping how marketing teams and designers approach creative workflows. Recraft isn’t competing with artists; it’s competing with inefficiency. Traditional models, even advanced ones like Adobe Firefly and Stable Diffusion, still struggle with structured design needs. Recraft goes a step further, edging closer to platforms like Canva—but with more powerful AI and fewer compromises. It’s become the go-to tool for companies that can’t afford inconsistency in their visual assets.
Recraft’s founder and CEO, Anna Veronika Dorogush, is a standout herself. With experience at Google, Microsoft, and Yandex, she brings deep technical roots. But her journey began in an entirely different world—fashion modeling. While earning a math and computer science degree from one of Russia’s top universities, she modeled professionally. That chapter taught her a valuable lesson: effort alone isn’t enough. “The biggest lesson from that time was that grinding isn’t everything,” Dorogush says.
“Now when building a company, I know that to succeed, we have to be excellent at what’s mission-critical. In our case, building models is very important. So we’ve focused everything on getting that right”
What makes Recraft even more noteworthy is its distinct positioning. It’s not another open-ended art generator. It’s a solution built for business—fast, reliable, and brand-ready. And in a male-dominated AI industry, Dorogush leads as a solo female founder redefining what leadership in tech looks like: focused, innovative, and quietly disruptive.
With $30 million in fresh capital and a performance edge over the giants, Recraft is no longer flying under the radar. It’s rewriting the playbook for creative AI—starting with the brands that need it most.
