Y Combinator Startup Poly Builds AI Stock Library for Game Assets
Poly offers a generative AI platform that creates 3D textures and virtual assets from text prompts, acting as an AI-only alternative to traditional stock image libraries.
Generative AI platforms like DALL-E 2 inspire new business ventures, and Y Combinator-backed startup Poly is building a stock asset library populated exclusively by AI generations. Unlike traditional platforms such as Adobe Stock or Shutterstock, Poly allows designers to create video game and virtual assets using simple text prompts. While some competitors ban AI-generated content over legal concerns, Poly is moving forward to solve the common pain point of searching for the perfect digital asset.
The company's first web-based tool focuses on generating 3D textures with physically-based rendering maps, which mimic the flow of light in the real world. Users simply describe a desired texture, like tree bark with moss, and optionally provide a reference image to receive customizable 3D models. These generated assets include normal and invert maps that game developers use to add volume, depth, and intricate details to 3D object surfaces.
Poly trains its generative AI models using proprietary methods, such as extracting texture information from standard images to improve the system's learning capabilities. CEO Abhay Agarwal, a former Microsoft research fellow, co-founded the company with Sam Young in early 2022 to increase the creative capacity of the world. The startup emerges after Agarwal's previous AI consulting work with major brands like Spotify and Meta, where he developed intelligent systems ranging from dance choreography algorithms to virtual baking assistants.