Pencil

Pencil

AI-driven platform for scalable ad creation

Overview

Pencil provides a SaaS platform that automates generation of digital ad content and copy using generative AI models like GPT, Stable Diffusion, and Runway. The platform analyzes brand objectives and assets to produce channel-ready ads at scale and includes a predictive metric to estimate each creative's performance. It serves small-to-mid-sized businesses and large enterprises, with clients such as Unilever, Bayer, and Google, and was acquired by The Brandtech Group in 2023, which led to Pencil Pro for enterprise needs. Pencil builds its predictive dataset from over $1 billion in real media spend across about 4,000 brands since 2018 to improve efficiency and effectiveness of ad creation.

Significant Headcount Growth

About Pencil

Simplify's Rating
Why Pencil is rated
B-
Rated B on Competitive Edge
Rated B on Growth Potential
Rated C on Differentiation

Industries

Data & Analytics

Consumer Software

Enterprise Software

AI & Machine Learning

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

Seed

Total Funding

$3.9M

Headquarters

London, United Kingdom

Founded

2018

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Coty embedded Pencil across Consumer Beauty brands in May 2026, expanding usage materially.
  • GWI Insights Agent launched May 18, 2026, adding real-time audience intelligence to creative.
  • BCG's global partnership and enterprise positioning widen distribution through consulting-led transformation deals.

What critics are saying

  • Adobe, OpenAI, Runway, and native platform features compress Pencil's differentiation by 2026.
  • Enterprise onboarding stays heavy, slowing adoption at smaller teams and lengthening sales cycles.
  • Coty concentration and Brandtech ownership tie Pencil's fate to a few large contracts.

What makes Pencil unique

  • Pencil unifies creative generation, prediction, and deployment inside one enterprise marketing workflow.
  • Its models train on over $4 billion media spend and 10 million ads.
  • Brandtech ownership gives Pencil enterprise governance, IP control, and embedded delivery through Jellyfish.

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Funding

Total Funding

$3.9M

Below

Industry Average

Funded Over

2 Rounds

Seed funding is usually the first official round after pre-seed, when a startup has a prototype or concept. It’s typically used to develop the product, test the market, and start building the team. Investors here are often angel investors or early-stage venture capitalists.
Seed Funding Comparison
Below Average

Industry standards

$3.3M
$2M
Netflix
$2.3M
Instacart
$2.8M
Pencil
$3M
Robinhood

Benefits

Health Insurance

Paid Vacation

Flexible Work Hours

Remote Work Options

Paid Holidays

Parental Leave

Wellness Program

Professional Development Budget

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

36%

1 year growth

36%

2 year growth

36%
UTI World
May 5th, 2026
Coty partners with Pencil to scale ai-driven content creation across Consumer Beauty.

Coty partners with Pencil to scale ai-driven content creation across Consumer Beauty. Beauty giant Coty has entered into a strategic partnership with Pencil to integrate real-time, AI-powered content creation across its Consumer Beauty division. The collaboration will embed Pencil's end-to-end generative AI platform across Coty's mass-market brands, including CoverGirl, Rimmel, Sally Hansen, and Max Factor. The platform is designed to help marketing teams produce, deploy, and optimize content at scale while maintaining brand consistency and governance. "Our brands operate in a high-velocity consumer environment, but speed without control doesn't scale," said Gordon von Bretten, president of consumer beauty at Coty. He emphasized that the partnership will enable faster and higher-volume content creation without compromising brand integrity or data ownership. As part of the next phase, Pencil will deploy a dedicated embedded team within Coty starting July 1, working directly across campaign workflows in global markets. Founded by Will Hanschell, Pencil has generated over 10 million ads and processed more than $4 billion in media spend using generative and predictive AI technologies. Hanschell noted that brands leveraging AI effectively will shape the future of marketing. The move comes as Coty, under interim CEO Markus Strobel, sharpens its focus on core brands following a strategic review of its consumer cosmetics division, including evaluating partnerships, divestitures, and potential spin-offs for brands such as Rimmel and Max Factor.

AIJourn
May 4th, 2026
Coty partners with Pencil to build end-to-end Gen AI content system.

Coty partners with Pencil to build end-to-end Gen AI content system. 2 minutes read NEW YORK-(BUSINESS WIRE)-Coty, one of the world's largest beauty companies, and Pencil, the world's #1 generative AI marketing platform, today announced a partnership to put real-time, AI-powered content creation at the heart of Coty's Consumer Beauty division. With a transformation and creative team led by sister company Jellyfish, Pencil's end-to-end content platform will be embedded across Coty's Consumer Beauty brands, enabling creative and marketing teams to generate, deploy, and optimize images and videos with greater speed, scale, and efficiency. This marks the next phase of the collaboration, with Pencil establishing a dedicated, embedded team at Coty from July 1, fully integrated into campaign workflows across brands and markets globally. Coty Consumer brands include CoverGirl, Rimmel, Sally Hansen, and Max Factor, among others. Gordon von Bretten, President of Consumer Beauty at Coty, said: "Our brands operate in a high-velocity consumer environment, but speed without control doesn't scale. This partnership allows us to increase the pace and volume of content creation while maintaining governance, brand integrity, and data ownership. It's a step change in how we operationalize creativity across Consumer Beauty." Pencil supports the full content workflow, from ideation and copywriting through to image and video production, while meeting enterprise standards for governance, security, and IP ownership. The platform will ensure Coty has full ownership of its brands, assets, and data throughout. Since 2018, Pencil has made 10 million ads and has processed more than $4BN in media spend, which gives it a proven ability to predict content performance before it runs meaning it uses both generative AI and predictive AI. Pencil co-founder and CEO, Will Hanschell, said: "The brands who win in the future will be those who are best at leveraging Gen AI. Coty has really leaned into how transformative AI can be for marketing when deployed with clarity and intent. This focus on end-to-end application at scale means the opportunity to extract value from AI and drive growth is huge." For Coty, the partnership sits at the center of a broader content transformation, alongside initiatives including new digital set management capabilities, Digital Twins, and Virtual Production. Together, these investments reflect a shared ambition to scale creativity responsibly, improve efficiency, and build a marketing ecosystem fit for the pace of modern consumers. About Pencil Pencil is the world's leading Gen AI marketing platform. Its unique, end-to-end capabilities mean it covers the full content workflow, from insight and ideation through creative production, performance prediction, and then media deployment. It has made more than 10 million ads since 2018, and in excess of $4BN in media spend has flowed through it. The data from this spend allows Pencil to power its predictive AI capabilities. Pencil was named a Most Innovative Company 2024 by Fast Company, the only Gen AI marketing company on the list. trypencil.com About Coty Inc. Founded in Paris in 1904, Coty is one of the world's largest beauty companies, with a portfolio of beloved brands across fragrance, color cosmetics, and skin and body care. Coty serves consumers around the world, selling prestige and mass-market products in over 120 countries and territories. Together with its brands, Coty empowers people to express the beauty of their individuality - and is committed to transforming the beauty industry to become more sustainable and inclusive through its Beauty That Lasts strategy. Learn more at coty.com or on LinkedIn and Instagram. 5 minutes ago 22 minutes ago

Financial Post
May 4th, 2026
Coty partners with Pencil to build end-to-end Gen AI content system.

Coty partners with Pencil to build end-to-end Gen AI content system. Business Wire Published May 04, 2026 Article content NEW YORK - Coty, one of the world's largest beauty companies, and Pencil, the world's #1 generative AI marketing platform, today announced a partnership to put real-time, AI-powered content creation at the heart of Coty's Consumer Beauty division. Article content With a transformation and creative team led by sister company Jellyfish, Pencil's end-to-end content platform will be embedded across Coty's Consumer Beauty brands, enabling creative and marketing teams to generate, deploy, and optimize images and videos with greater speed, scale, and efficiency. This marks the next phase of the collaboration, with Pencil establishing a dedicated, embedded team at Coty from July 1, fully integrated into campaign workflows across brands and markets globally. Article content Advertisement 1 Story continues below Article content Coty Consumer brands include CoverGirl, Rimmel, Sally Hansen, and Max Factor, among others. Article content Top Stories Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Article content Gordon von Bretten, President of Consumer Beauty at Coty, said: "Our brands operate in a high-velocity consumer environment, but speed without control doesn't scale. This partnership allows us to increase the pace and volume of content creation while maintaining governance, brand integrity, and data ownership. It's a step change in how we operationalize creativity across Consumer Beauty." Article content Pencil supports the full content workflow, from ideation and copywriting through to image and video production, while meeting enterprise standards for governance, security, and IP ownership. The platform will ensure Coty has full ownership of its brands, assets, and data throughout. Article content Since 2018, Pencil has made 10 million ads and has processed more than $4BN in media spend, which gives it a proven ability to predict content performance before it runs meaning it uses both generative AI and predictive AI. Article content Pencil co-founder and CEO, Will Hanschell, said: "The brands who win in the future will be those who are best at leveraging Gen AI. Coty has really leaned into how transformative AI can be for marketing when deployed with clarity and intent. This focus on end-to-end application at scale means the opportunity to extract value from AI and drive growth is huge." Article content For Coty, the partnership sits at the center of a broader content transformation, alongside initiatives including new digital set management capabilities, Digital Twins, and Virtual Production. Together, these investments reflect a shared ambition to scale creativity responsibly, improve efficiency, and build a marketing ecosystem fit for the pace of modern consumers. Article content About Pencil Article content Pencil is the world's leading Gen AI marketing platform. Its unique, end-to-end capabilities mean it covers the full content workflow, from insight and ideation through creative production, performance prediction, and then media deployment. It has made more than 10 million ads since 2018, and in excess of $4BN in media spend has flowed through it. The data from this spend allows Pencil to power its predictive AI capabilities. Pencil was named a Most Innovative Company 2024 by Fast Company, the only Gen AI marketing company on the list. Article content About Coty Inc. Article content Founded in Paris in 1904, Coty is one of the world's largest beauty companies, with a portfolio of beloved brands across fragrance, color cosmetics, and skin and body care. Coty serves consumers around the world, selling prestige and mass-market products in over 120 countries and territories. Together with its brands, Coty empowers people to express the beauty of their individuality - and is committed to transforming the beauty industry to become more sustainable and inclusive through its Beauty That Lasts strategy. Learn more at Article content View source version on businesswire.com: Article content Advertisement 1 How my job helps me win at work and at home"I can make an impact at a Fortune 100 company."Liberty Mutual | Sponsored Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Conversation | All Comments Start the conversation Advertisement Powered by Let ADT set up security while you settle inMaking your new house a home can be hectic. Let us give you a hand. Our pros can install a system with tech designed to help keep you safe.ADT | Sponsored

Consulting.us
May 29th, 2025
BCG partners with Pencil to help companies make AI ads

BCG partners with Pencil to help companies make AI ads.

Business Insider
May 20th, 2024
Check out the latest example of Apple's crazy attention to detail

The Pencil Pro launched May 7 alongside the new M4 iPad.

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