Co-Founder & CEO of Runway
"Cristóbal Valenzuela transformed video creation by building AI foundation models specifically tailored for filmmakers and visual storytellers."

Cristóbal Valenzuela
Co-Founder & CEO • Runway
Cristóbal Valenzuela co-founded Runway out of NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program with a core belief: artificial intelligence will become an expressive camera for artists rather than just a code generator.
Runway pioneered generative video models with Gen-1, Gen-2, and Gen-3 Alpha. Their tools enabled indie creators and major Hollywood visual effects teams to generate cinematic shots using plain text prompts and camera controls.
Valenzuela established the annual AI Film Festival in New York, proving that generative video is ushering in an entirely new genre of independent cinema.
"Storytelling is human. AI is just a new type of camera that lets anyone visualize their imagination."
— Cristóbal Valenzuela, Runway
Build tools directly alongside creative communities to ensure your product enhances human artistry.
Explore verified founder profiles in the same category
AI & TechnologyCo-Founder & CEO • Mercor
"Mercor is an AI-powered hiring and workforce platform that matches skilled talent with jobs and trains AI agents using human expertise."
AI & TechnologyCo-Founder & CEO • SambaNova
"SambaNova builds specialized AI chips and full-stack systems that let enterprises and governments run powerful AI models on their own private, secure infrastructure instead of the public cloud."
AI & TechnologyCo-Founder & CEO • Perplexity AI
"Perplexity is an AI-powered answer engine that gives direct, cited answers to search queries instead of a list of links—also behind the Comet AI web browser."
AI & TechnologyCo-Founder & CEO • Emergent
"Emergent is a Bengaluru-based AI vibe-coding platform that lets anyone build, test, and deploy web and mobile apps using natural language, no coding required."
The Founder Chronicle
Weekly deep-dives into the builders reshaping the global economy. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.