Zero One Creative (01C), the AI creative tech startup building real-time tools for immersive storytelling, has raised £425,000 in funding backed by EWOR with HQ in Berlin, a radically selective fellowship backing the world's top 0.1% founders, built and led by unicorn builders – including the exited founders of SumUp and Adjust.
The funding will accelerate the development of AMARA, 01C’s AI-native platform that allows creators access all tools in one place to instantly create workflows across formats.
Zero One was founded by Ashkan Dabbagh, James Elkin, and Rupert Aspden, a team combining deep expertise in artificial intelligence, film, visual effects, and immersive media.
Dabbagh studied AI at Oxford and has built a career in technical roles at Warner Bros. and Amazon Studios. He also served as a production manager at DNEG, the visual FX firm behind Interstellar and Dune. Elkin brings a unique background, having spent seven years as a senior aircraft technician in the Royal Air Force before transitioning into visual effects, where he has worked on projects for Sky, BBC, and Netflix. Aspden’s career spans production and operations across BBC, Disney, Amazon, and 20th Century Fox.
The creative industries are facing a serious bottleneck. Today’s storytellers, whether in games, animation, or immersive media, are slowed by fragmented workflows, constant reformatting, and incompatible platforms. Even the most compelling ideas get trapped in technical silos, draining budgets and momentum.
AMARA is 01C’s response to this problem. The platform allows creators to ideate, build, and deploy across multiple media through one unified intelligent interface. Its AI-powered backend handles optimisation and format adaptation. The result is faster execution, scalable storytelling, and radically restored creative momentum with a human-centric approach.
Before launching its platform to the public, AMARA was used internally for creating over 10 viral campaigns and featured on projects including for McLaren, eBay, Twix, and Starcloud, with over 40 million views. All growth was achieved organically through word of mouth and returning customers.
Zero One Creative has also earned recognition across top-tier startup programmes. The company is a finalist in Oxford University’s OX1 Incubator (top 1% of 140 startups), winner of the 2024 Oxbridge AI Challenge (competing with 200+ startups from Oxford and Cambridge University), and is supported by Microsoft for Startups, Google for Startups, and the NVIDIA Inception Program.
With its selection into EWOR’s new Traction Fellowship, the 01C team joins an elite circle of high-growth companies gaining capital, mentorship, and global visibility through one of the most respected fellowships for founders, with mentorship from exited unicorn founders turned full-time partners. With its selection into EWOR’s new Traction Fellowship, the 01C team joins an elite circle of high-growth companies gaining capital, mentorship, and global visibility through one of the most respected fellowships for founders, with mentorship from exited unicorn founders turned full-time partners.
