Who Owns FLUX AI? Black Forest Labs, Founders, and Apps
Black Forest Labs develops FLUX AI. See who founded BFL, who operates flux-3image, and how to credit the model, API host, and app separately.
Black Forest Labs (BFL) develops the FLUX AI image-model family and owns the FLUX trademark. The flux-3image generator is a separate app operated by Seantin Labs LLC. To identify who owns a particular website offering FLUX, check that site's company disclosure: the model developer and the app operator can be different companies.
Who founded Black Forest Labs, and who owns the company?
As of October 2026, Salesforce Ventures' company profile lists Black Forest Labs as private and names Robin Rombach, Andreas Blattmann, and Patrick Esser as co-founders. It does not list their ownership percentages or a complete shareholder breakdown.
BFL's company page identifies the lab behind the models, while its brand guidance explains the use of its trademarks and branding. These disclosures support identifying BFL as the model developer. They do not establish that any one founder owns the whole company.
Does Black Forest Labs also run flux-3image?
flux-3image is an independent third-party app. Its About page names Seantin Labs LLC as the operator and states that the app is not affiliated with or endorsed by Black Forest Labs. For a FLUX 3 Image request on this app, the roles are:
| Company | Role |
|---|---|
| Black Forest Labs | Develops the FLUX models; FLUX is its trademark. |
| fal | Hosts the model API used by the app. Its FLUX 3 Image endpoint provides text-to-image generation. |
| Seantin Labs LLC | Operates flux-3image's browser app and account service. |
Two live-page excerpts captured October 12, 2026: the model selector above and the independent-app disclosure below.
The selector names the model you are using. The disclosure names the company running the service. A website offering FLUX can be operated by a different company from the one that develops it.
How should you credit a FLUX-generated image?
This fictional bookbinder gives a concrete attribution example. We generated the image with BFL's FLUX 3 Image through fal, using the app's model endpoint and request settings: 1K, 3:4, no reference images, and the prompt sent as typed, with no prompt expansion.
The exact prompt was:
A fictional 38-year-old bookbinder sewing a cloth-bound book at a wooden desk, natural window light, realistic hands and fabric texture, unbranded tools.
Generated with Black Forest Labs' FLUX 3 Image through fal; requested at 1K, 3:4. Delivered file: 880 × 1184 pixels.
The result shows the requested workbench scene, with thread along the open book's spine and light from the left window. A specific model credit for this example is: “Generated with Black Forest Labs' FLUX 3 Image through fal.” The picture's appearance alone cannot establish who owns the model or operates the service; those details come from the generation record and company disclosures.
For an image you create in the browser app, you can add “Created on flux-3image” separately. That names where you made it without implying that BFL commissioned or endorsed it.
The same distinction applies when you upload a photo to the FLUX 3 Image editor: BFL supplies the model, and Seantin Labs LLC operates the app. For differences between model versions, see the FLUX 3 and FLUX.2 image comparison.
Is flux.ai the same company as the FLUX image-model developer?
The Flux product at flux.ai is an AI tool for designing schematics and printed circuit boards. Search results about PCB layouts, electronic components, or hardware prototypes concern that product. For the FLUX image models, look for Black Forest Labs and model names such as FLUX.2 or FLUX 3 Image.
When checking another FLUX app, read its About page and legal footer. Compare the model name with BFL's documentation, and keep the model developer, API host, and app operator separate in your attribution.