AI startup

Former Head of AI at CapCut Launches Multimodal Agent Startup as a Context-Savvy “007” Service Provider, Raises Millions Within Two Weeks

Honghao Wang

— 4 min read
Former Head of AI at CapCut Launches Multimodal Agent Startup as a Context-Savvy “007” Service Provider, Raises Millions Within Two Weeks

Apex Context: Liao Qian’s New Venture in Multimodal AI

Former Vice President of Product at Shengshu Technology, Liao Qian, has officially embarked on his own entrepreneurial journey — founding Apex Context in late August 2024.

Previously, he served as Head of AIGC Product at ByteDance’s Jianying and Volcano Engine. Remarkably, within just two weeks of launching his company, Liao secured millions of USD in funding from HT Investment (Silicon Valley) and Baidu Ventures (BV).

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Vision and Mission

> Goal: Create a multimodal Agent for marketing scenarios, while gradually building a new-generation AI information expression system.

The name Apex Context reflects his belief that the next phase of AI should deeply understand and respond to user context, generating content more precise and aligned with expectations.

From a humanistic perspective, “More Context, Less Control” also conveys the company’s culture.

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Founder Background

Liao’s career spans computer vision, product management, and commercialization, with key roles in both tech giants and 0-to-1 startups.

Highlights:

  • Helped launch multiple projects from concept to product at Tencent and ByteDance.
  • Held leadership positions driving innovation in AI modeling and product strategy.
  • Guided Shengshu’s multimodal foundational model product, Vidu, through more than ten iterations.

> “I understand how technology becomes product value — and I’ve implemented it hands-on.”

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Why Focus on Marketing Agents?

Marketing is:

  • Highly vertical with clear pain points.
  • Measurable in results.
  • Backed by strong willingness to pay.
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Agent Concept

A well-designed Agent:

  • Understands user needs like a professional agency.
  • Handles the entire content cycle: from creative planning to final production.
  • Requires minimal learning from the user — interaction is as simple as talking to a person.

Liao calls this expectation-driven and outcome-oriented:

> “Good products consistently lower user costs — in usage, comprehension, and price.”

Core user profile:

  • Knows roughly what they want.
  • Doesn’t need to know how to make it happen.
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Roadmap: From Marketing Video Agents to AI Expression Systems

Short-Term

  • Focus on AI Video Agents for marketing.
  • Provide end-to-end capabilities from creative scripting to video editing.

Long-Term

  • Develop a platform enabling personalized self-expression in the AI era.

Historical progression of information:

  • Search Era — users sought information.
  • Recommendation Era — information sought users.
  • Expression Era — AI helps users express intent naturally.

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Platforms like AiToEarn官网 are connecting AI content generation with cross-platform publishing, analytics, and model ranking.

They enable:

  • AI script and video generation
  • Simultaneous distribution across global and domestic platforms: Douyin, WeChat, YouTube, Instagram, etc.
  • Efficient monetization of AI-driven creative output.

> Competitive advantage in the next phase: Who can help people, brands, and organizations express themselves better.

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Career Highlights

Education

  • Xidian University — Bachelor’s in Electronic Information Engineering, Master’s in Computer Vision.

Tencent (2015–2021)

  • Game development at TiMi Studios.
  • Led facial and human recognition in Tencent Cloud to No.1 in China, No.3 globally.
  • Built viral mini-program HerSnap — 1M+ users within 10 days.
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ByteDance (2021–2023)

  • Built Smart Creation Cloud at Volcano Engine.
  • Incubated Pippit in CapCut — 1M+ monthly active users overseas.
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Shengshu Technology (2023–2024)

  • Led product, R&D, ops, and marketing for Vidu.
  • Innovated Reference to Video — multimodal models now retain style and contextual memory.

> “By episode ten, AI understands the style and logic of the previous nine episodes.”

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Thoughts on Competitive Moats

  • “No traditional moat exists anymore.”
  • Cites Sora 2 disrupting giants like TikTok and Douyin.
  • Opportunity for startups arises when giants focus on defense rather than innovation.

Advantage:

  • Deep understanding of users and scenarios
  • Dedicated, passionate team working 14-hour days.

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Future of AI Video

For AI video models, Liao predicts:

  • Consistency will be the next big leap.
  • Voice tone stability will arrive within 3–6 months.
  • Cinematic aesthetics still need work.
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Entrepreneurship for Liao:

> “More hours, but less exhausting than big tech — because it’s worth going all-in.”

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Platforms Driving the Expression Ecosystem

In the rapidly evolving AI creative space, consistency and aesthetics are key for professional-grade content.

Tools like AiToEarn官网 integrate:

  • AI content generation
  • Multi-platform publishing
  • Analytics & performance ranking

Supported platforms: Douyin, Kwai, WeChat, Bilibili, Rednote, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, YouTube, Pinterest, X.

These ecosystems enable creators to:

  • Publish AI-generated content across multiple channels.
  • Maintain brand and style consistency.
  • Monetize efficiently.
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Summary:

Liao Qian’s Apex Context is positioning itself at the intersection of multimodal AI, marketing, and personalized content expression — leveraging his decade-long journey from algorithms to products. The company's focus on expectation-driven Agents and long-term vision for a new AI information expression system spots a clear opportunity where large tech incumbents are distracted, and startups can redefine the landscape.

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