British film financier Goldfinch has partnered with Luxembourg’s Digital Genesis Fund to create a $20 million investment initiative focused on Web3 and AI-powered entertainment studios.
The partnership aims to revolutionize traditional media production models by integrating tokenization, artificial intelligence and decentralized ecosystems. The deal structure includes an initial $20 million investment from Digital Genesis, matched by Goldfinch International on a deal-by-deal basis.
The initiative will officially launch during the TechCannes Industry event at the Cannes Film Market on May 17, followed by an international activation calendar of investments and partnership deals. This includes the upcoming Indonesia Creative Investment Forum, co-hosted by Goldfinch Indonesia, where the first tech-driven products for Lumiere and The Squad will be introduced to global investors and public institutions.
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The newly formed venture will concentrate on the intersection of entertainment, emerging technology, and digital media, with particular emphasis on projects leveraging tokenization, AI, the metaverse, and TMT infrastructure. This creates a fresh model for co-investment and co-production across the entertainment landscape.
Lumiere, a tokenized crowdfunding platform, represents the partnership’s first major investment. Backed by Animoca Brands, BRINC, and Rolling Stone & RS Productions, the platform enables audiences and investors to participate in content funding before a project is fully scripted – challenging traditional financing models while creating the foundation for the ecosystem’s tokenized studio infrastructure.
The partnership also includes a previously revealed investment in The Squad, a Web3-native production studio embracing decentralized financing and participatory storytelling through its AI-powered pipeline, and MILC.global, an immersive metaverse platform evolving into a comprehensive B2B and B2C-ready production environment.
“We’re witnessing ongoing, profound shifts in the entertainment and creative industries—sectors we deeply value and love,” said Phil McKenzie and Justin Deimen of Goldfinch International. “Our goal is to future-proof these industries at their core, through an institutional lens.”
Hendrik Hey, MD and co-founder of Digital Genesis Fund, added: “This must be what it felt like when the first Hollywood pioneers built their studios and set a new era of storytelling in motion. Today, we find ourselves at a similar turning point – but this time, the canvas is infinite: a three-dimensional, transparent, and interactive metaverse.”
The collaborative ecosystem aims to give creators more control over their work while providing investors with real-time performance tracking. Strategic technology partnerships with companies like Arcware (Germany) will automate production workflows and licensing frameworks, establishing a new model of transparent co-production and co-financing.
Patrice Poujol, founder and CEO of Lumiere, said: “This is more than a partnership – we are opening the doors to a new entertainment ecosystem. We’re building the decentralized studio system of the future – fueled by AI, governed by smart contracts, and driven by creators and communities.”