SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA, February 10, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Spotlite, the transparent model-booking platform connecting freelance models with global brands, today announced major growth milestones, including securing a bridge investment from Rabbit VC and Strong Ventures and being selected for Korea’s prestigious Global TIPS scale-up program, bringing total new funding support of approximately $450,000 to fuel international expansion and AI innovation.
“Having both Rabbit VC and Strong Ventures behind us, especially with Strong Ventures returning as a follow-on investor, is a strong validation of the foundation we’ve built,” said Hannah Choi, CEO of Spotlite . “This bridge round allows us to stabilize our marketplace operations while accelerating development of our AI-driven search and agent technologies that will define the future of how people book talent.”
Strong Ventures participated as a follow-on investor in the bridge round, reinforcing confidence in Spotlite’s long-term vision and execution. While the investment amount remains undisclosed, the funding will be used to strengthen marketplace infrastructure, accelerate AI product development, and advance Spotlite’s proprietary human-IP protection technology
Spotlite is currently integrating AI agents and natural-language search, powered by its proprietary embedding technology. This enables brands to discover the right talent through intuitive, conversational queries and reference-based search that dramatically improves booking efficiency and transparency.
In parallel, Spotlite has been selected for Global TIPS, Korea’s leading government-backed scale-up program supporting startups with strong international traction. The program will provide approximately $450,000 in funding to accelerate global growth.
“Global TIPS validates what we’ve been building from the very beginning,” said Hannah. “With international brands already booking through Spotlite, this support accelerates our mission to build the world’s most trusted service for transparent, ethical model booking worldwide.”
Spotlite was selected based on its strong cross-border traction with models and brands across Korea, Thailand, and the United States, as well as its industry-shifting technology, including real-scan 3D model profiles that provide unedited, fully authentic representations of talent, setting a new standard for transparency in the modeling industry.
Funding from Global TIPS will support Spotlite’s U.S. market expansion, accelerate development of its digital-twin and human-IP infrastructure, and enable broader onboarding of global talent to scale the marketplace.
Together, the new private investment and government backing position Spotlite to rapidly advance its vision of becoming the world’s leading infrastructure for human identity protection and ethical talent booking, defining a new global standard for human IP in the AI era.
About Spotlite:
Spotlite is a global platform protecting creators in the AI era. Founded by industry veterans Hannah Choi and Benjamin Hori, Spotlite operates across two core pillars:
– Transparent Booking Platform: Spotlite connects fashion models and creatives directly with brands and agencies across Asia, Southeast Asia, and the United States. By eliminating middleman inefficiencies, we deliver commission-free bookings built on transparency and speed.
– IP Protection & Consent-First Data Infrastructure: As AI systems increasingly train on human likenesses without permission or compensation, Spotlite is building technology to protect creators from unauthorized use of their image and biometric data. Our IP protection tools detect unauthorized usage, while our consent-first data pipeline ensures that creators retain ownership of their biometric data and receive proper compensation when their likeness is used to train AI systems. We partner with leading platforms to provide legally compliant, ethically sourced training data that respects creator rights.
Spotlite is actively used by world-class brands and leading K-beauty and fashion companies, including Sulwhasoo, MUSINSA, Samsung, LG, Tirtir, COSRX, Hyatt Group, and more.
For more information, please visit https://home.spotlite.global/
Sonia Awan
Outbloom Public Relations
soniaawan@outbloompr.net
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