Makemoji, whose mobile app helps users create their own emoji characters, has raised $1 million in seed funding.

Bellwether Lifestyle Management provided the investment. Founder and Chief Executive Tyler Breton said the West Hollywood company is already putting together a Series A round, though he declined to share specifics.

Makemoji users can make their own emojis – digital icons that express an emotion or an idea – using shapes or colors or their own photos. Their self-created emojis are hosted in an Instagram-like profile that can be viewed by others. The iOS app also offers preset emojis in its library.

The app is free to download and use with no premium model planned, according to Breton. He said its revenue stream would come from companies that pay to have emojis created for their brand. A Starbucks cup or a Paul Frank monkey, for example, could be created and shared among Makemoji’s users.

Makemoji reached 25,000 users since it launched in August. Breton said the company will wait until it has up to 100,000 users before it begins offering its personalized emoji services to brands.

The startup currently has a team of 10 preparing for an Android app launch. A thousand people have already signed up to download the app once it’s released later this year.

“The emojis that are out there, that’s coming from a company that’s telling you what to use,” Breton said. “If people could personalize them, then that’s a more personalized statement.”

Staff reporter Melissah Yang can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @MelissahYang for the latest in L.A. tech news.