Synthesia is a synthetic media generation company that develops software used to create AI generated video content. Its customer base, as of January 2025, includes over sixty percent of Fortune 100 companies. It is based in London, England.

Overview

Synthesia is most often used by corporations for communication, orientation, and training videos.[2] It has been used in advertising campaigns, reporting, product demonstrations, and to create chatbots.[3][4]

Synthesia's software algorithm mimics speech and facial movements based on video recordings of an individual's speech and phoneme pronunciation. From this a text-to-speech video is created to look and sound like the individual.[5][6]

Users create content via the platform's pre-generated AI presenters[3] or by creating digital representations of themselves, or personal avatars, using the platform's AI video editing tool.[7] These avatars can be used to narrate videos generated from text. As of August 2021, Synthesia's voice database included multiple gender options in over sixty languages.[7][8]

The platform prohibits use of its software to create non-consensual clones, including of celebrities or political figures for satirical purposes.[9] Explicit consent must be provided in addition to a strict pre-screening regimen for use of an individual's likeness to avoid “deepfaking”.[10]

History

Synthesia's software utilizes deep learning architecture developed by Lourdes Agapito and Matthias Niessner. The company was co-founded in 2017 by Agapito, Niessner, Victor Riparbelli, and Steffen Tjerrild.[11] In 2018, the company first demonstrated the software's capabilities on the BBC programme Click when it presented a digitization of Matthew Amroliwala speaking Spanish, Mandarin, and Hindi.[12]

Synthesia raised $3.1 million in seed funding in 2019.[4] In 2020, Synthesia users were reported to include Amazon, Tiffany & Co. and IHG Hotels & Resorts.[13][14]

In April 2021, the company raised $12.5 million in Series A funding.[7] In December 2021, it raised $50 million in a Series B funding round led by Kleiner Perkins and GV.[15]

In 2021, Synthesia partnered with Lay's to create the Messi Messages campaign featuring Argentine footballer Lionel Messi. Users created personalized messages with Synthesia's software and sent custom artificial reality video messages from Messi based on their text input.[16] The campaign received a Cannes Lion Award.[17]

Synthesia gained a total valuation of $1 billion, and achieved unicorn status, when it raised $90 million from Accel and Nvidia partnership NVentures, in June 2023, during its Series C funding round.[18][19][13]

While the company prohibits use of its technology for misinformation or "news-like content",[20] an October 2023 Freedom House report stated that Synthesia tools had been used by governments in Venezuela and China to create videos of fake TV news outlets with AI-generated avatars in order to spread propaganda.[21] The company stated, in February 2024, that it had improved its misuse detection systems,[20] and, in April 2024, that new users of its technology are screened by the company, and content employing it is further vetted by Synthesia moderators.[22]

In January 2024, the company introduced its AI video assistant, which turns text-to-video.[23] That April, with a reported 55,000 customers, including half of the Fortune 100, Synthesia launched "expressive avatars".[22]

Counting 60,000 customers the following January, including over 60% of Fortune 100 companies; the company raised $180 million in a Series D round led by NEA,[1] with new investors World Innovation Lab (WiL), Atlassian Ventures and PSP Growth, as well as existing investors GV, MMC Ventures and FirstMark, doubling Synthesia's valuation to $2.1 billion.[24][25] Capital raised to date reached $330 million in 2025,[25] with 2025 investments slated to further product innovation, talent growth, and company expansion in North America, Europe, Japan and Australia.[1]

Peter Hill joined Synthesia as CTO in January 2025, following 25 years at Amazon, and two years as CEO and CPO of Wildfire Studios.[26]

In February 2025, UK Science and Technology Minister Peter Kyle commended Synthesia's "pioneering generative AI innovations."[26][25][27]

References

  1. ^ a b c Synthesia hits $2.1 bln in valuation after latest fundraise Reuters. January 14, 2025
  2. ^ Crook, Jordan (8 December 2021). "Synthesia raises $50M to leverage synthetic avatars for corporate training and more". TechCrunch. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  3. ^ a b Khalid, Amrita. "The Next Great Tool for Winning Customers and Training Employees: Deepfakes". Inc.
  4. ^ a b Roettgers, Janko (22 August 2019). "How AI Tech Is Changing Dubbing, Making Stars Like David Beckham Multilingual". Variety. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  5. ^ Simonite, Tom. "Deepfakes Are Now Making Business Pitches". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  6. ^ "Dubbing is coming to a small screen near you". The Economist. 21 December 2019.
  7. ^ a b c Crook, Jordan (20 April 2021). "Synthesia's AI video generation platform hooks $12.5 million Series A led by FirstMark". TechCrunch. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  8. ^ Dale, Robert (8 April 2022). "The voice synthesis business: 2022 update". Natural Language Engineering. 28 (3): 401–408. doi:10.1017/S1351324922000146. ISSN 1351-3249.
  9. ^ Heilweil, Rebecca (29 June 2020). "How deepfakes could actually do some good". Vox. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  10. ^ "Synthesia, which is developing AI to generate synthetic videos, secures $50M". VentureBeat. 8 December 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  11. ^ Butcher, Mike (25 April 2019). "The startup behind that deep-fake David Beckham video just raised $3M". TechCrunch. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  12. ^ "BBC World News - Click, Top Quality Fake News, BBC newsreader 'speaks' languages he can't". BBC. 9 November 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  13. ^ a b Singh, Jaspreet. "AI startup Synthesia gains unicorn status after Nvidia-backed fundraise". Yahoo Finance. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  14. ^ "AI Video Creation Pioneer Synthesia Raises $90 Million Series C Led by Accel". Business Wire. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  15. ^ Lee, Jane Lanhee (8 December 2021). "AI video avatar platform Synthesia raises $50 mln in venture capital". Reuters. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  16. ^ "You can now send personalised videos from an AI version of Messi. It's weird". ESPN.com. 16 March 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  17. ^ "The Work | Lions Entry | Messi Messages". The Work. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  18. ^ Burroughs, Callum (13 June 2023). "Generative AI startup Synthesia just raised $90 million in fresh funds from US fund Accel and Nvidia at a $1 billion valuation". Business Insider. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
  19. ^ Wiggers, Kyle. "Synthesia secures $90M for AI that generates custom avatars". TechCrunch. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  20. ^ a b In Big Election Year, A.I.’s Architects Move Against Its Misuse The New York Times accessed 19 August 2024.
  21. ^ "Generative AI Is the Newest Tool in the Dictator's Handbook". Gizmodo. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  22. ^ a b Nvidia-backed startup Synthesia unveils AI avatars that can convey human emotions CNBC accessed 19 August 2024.
  23. ^ Synthesia launches LLM-powered assistant to turn any text file or link into AI video Venture Beat accessed 19 August 2024.
  24. ^ AI video platform Synthesia raises $180M, doubling valuation to $2.1B Silicon Angle. January 15, 2025
  25. ^ a b c Saunders, Tom (15 January 2025). "British start-up Synthesia hits $2.1bn valuation on AI video boom". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  26. ^ a b Nvidia-backed AI video platform Synthesia doubles valuation to $2.1 billion CNBC. January 15, 2025
  27. ^ "Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on LinkedIn: #aiactionsummit | 13 comments". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
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