Cosmos Secures $15M Series A to Expand Visual Discovery Platform for Creatives

Key Takeaways

1. Funding Amount: Cosmos raised $15M in Series A funding, bringing total capital to $21M following a $6M seed round.
2. Lead Investors: Shine Capital and Matrix co-led the round, with participation from Google Ventures, Accel, Plug and Play, and Anthony Casalena (Squarespace CEO).
3. Platform Growth: The platform has grown to 10+ million images saved monthly and achieved #1 ranking in Apple App Store’s Design category across 22 countries.
4. Strategic Focus: Funds will support expansion of social discovery features, image attribution systems, and continued team growth.

Quick Recap

Cosmos, a visual discovery and curation platform designed for creative professionals, officially announced its $15 million Series A funding round on January 20, 2026. Co-led by venture capital firms Shine Capital and Matrix, the round includes significant participation from Google Ventures, Accel, Plug and Play Tech Center, and prominent angel investor Anthony Casalena, founder and CEO of Squarespace. This represents a substantial growth milestone for the New York-based startup, which has rapidly expanded its user base since its public launch.

Redefining Creative Inspiration

How Cosmos Stands Apart?

Founded in 2021 by Andy McCune and Luca Marra, Cosmos has built a fundamentally different approach to visual bookmarking compared to traditional platforms. Unlike Pinterest’s algorithm-driven feed designed for maximum engagement, Cosmos prioritizes aesthetic purity and intentional curation. The platform removes typical social media friction—no likes, comments, advertisements, or algorithmic pressure—creating what the team describes as a “sanctuary for imagination.”

The platform enables users to save images into customizable “clusters” (comparable to Pinterest boards) and search content through advanced AI-powered capabilities. A standout feature is the color-palette search tool, allowing designers to discover inspiration by uploading specific hues or color combinations. Users can also search by text, visual similarity, or subject matter. Importantly, all saved content retains source attribution, addressing a longstanding frustration among designers regarding intellectual property and proper crediting practices.

According to the LinkedIn announcement, Cosmos has achieved significant traction: over 10 million images are saved monthly, the platform has attracted millions of users organically through word-of-mouth, and it secured the #1 position in Apple’s App Store Design category across 22 countries. The platform also integrates seamlessly with existing creative workflows—users can import Pinterest boards directly and use browser extensions to save content from across the web.

The Series A capital will accelerate development of social discovery mechanisms, enabling users to follow other creators and discover curated collections. Additionally, Cosmos plans to strengthen its image attribution and crediting system—a critical feature for protecting artist rights and ensuring proper source recognition within the platform ecosystem.

The Shift Toward Intentional Curation

The emergence of Cosmos arrives at a pivotal moment for digital inspiration platforms. Pinterest, valued at $17 billion with 450 million monthly active users, has faced growing user frustration over increasing ad density, paywalled premium features, and an algorithm designed primarily to maximize engagement rather than aesthetic quality. This discontent has created meaningful whitespace for purpose-built alternatives targeting specific creative verticals.

Cosmos enters a competitive landscape that includes Are.na (a 14-year-old minimalist research platform popular among artists and architects), Milanote (focused on professional creative teams), and emerging tools like Kosmik (which emphasizes AI-assisted organization and smart search). However, Cosmos differentiates itself through its iPhone-first approach, emphasis on color-aware search, and philosophical commitment to a distraction-free interface.

The funding environment for visual curation platforms remains robust. The broader category of design collaboration and inspiration tools has attracted significant venture capital, with platforms like Figma, Miro, and Canva each commanding multi-billion-dollar valuations. Cosmos’ ability to secure investment from tier-one VCs (Shine Capital and Matrix have deep expertise in scaling creative and design-focused platforms) suggests strong market validation.

Ethan Daly from Shine Capital has joined Cosmos’ board, indicating hands-on partnership beyond capital deployment. This board seat typically signals serious long-term commitment and operational support as the platform scales.

Competitive Landscape Analysis

While Pinterest dominates in scale and consumer reach with 450 million users, Cosmos wins decisively among serious creatives prioritizing aesthetics and professional attribution. Pinterest remains cost-effective for high-volume casual inspiration-seeking, whereas Cosmos targets a narrower, higher-intent segment willing to pay for distraction-free discovery. Are.na attracts a more academic and research-oriented demographic but lacks Cosmos’ consumer-friendly mobile experience. Cosmos’ positioning as the “creative sanctuary alternative” appears well-differentiated.

TechnoTrenz’s Takeaway

I think this is genuinely a big deal—not because Cosmos will overtake Pinterest at scale, but because it demonstrates authentic market demand for anti-algorithmic tools in a segment that generates real economic value. From my experience covering creator tools and design platforms, I’ve watched designers actively migrate off Pinterest specifically because engagement metrics distort curation quality. That friction is real.

What stands out here is the investor quality. Shine Capital and Matrix co-leading isn’t a casual signal. Both firms have successfully scaled B2C design and creative tools. They’re not betting on Cosmos as a Pinterest killer; they’re betting on Cosmos as the default tool for serious visual professionals—the people who actually generate revenue from their creative work.

The $10 million seed-to-Series A capital raise demonstrates responsible scaling. Too many creator platforms over-capitalize early, burn through cash chasing undefined PMF (product-market fit), and implode. Cosmos grew to millions of organic users and top-10 App Store rankings before fundraising aggressively. That’s the right sequence.

Two risks warrant watching: (1) iOS dependency—the platform’s current strength as an iPhone-first experience could become a vulnerability if user growth demands Android expansion, and (2) monetization clarity—while the freemium model with team collaboration features ($6/month premium) works for a segment, scaling to $100M+ ARR requires either higher ARPU (average revenue per user) or broader market expansion beyond the pure creative professional segment.

But operationally, if execution continues at this velocity, Cosmos could credibly become the default visual inspiration layer for the next generation of designers, photographers, and creative directors. That’s worth $15M and board seats.