DesignArena Creator Raises $7.9M Seed Despite $60M ARR

Maker Intelligence, behind AI design platform DesignArena, raised a $7.9 million seed round led by Index Ventures, with Conviction, A*, and Valkyrie participating. The company reports $60 million in annual recurring revenue and 5.3 million users across 190-plus countries — figures rarely seen at seed stage. Worth flagging: the modest raise relative to revenue suggests the capital is for strategic investors, not runway.