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.[19] 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.[20] Through Synthesia's first two years of existence, it employed 10 people and struggled to make sales, leading to an expansion of the company's focus. It moved on from just targeting entertainment studios to a variety of businesses.[21]
In 2020, Synthesia users were reported to include Amazon, Tiffany & Co. and IHG Hotels & Resorts.[22][23]
In January 2024, the company introduced its AI video assistant, which turns text-to-video.[24] That April, with a reported 55,000 customers, including half of the Fortune 100, Synthesia launched "expressive avatars".[18] That September, an enhanced dubbing feature was launched,[25] to translate video in 30 languages with naturalized lip-syncing.[26]
Peter Hill joined Synthesia as CTO in January 2025, following 25 years at Amazon, and two years as CEO and CPO of Wildfire Studios. That March, a million dollar base of shares was formed to furnish human actors, employed to generate digital avatars, with company stock, which all of its employees hold.[27] By June of that year, 150,000 individuals from among Synthesia's 65,000 customers had created AI-generated avatars of themselves.[2]
In July 2025, the company's new global headquarters at Regent’s Place was opened by London mayor Sadiq Khan, who described Britain's largest generative-AI company, then valued at over $2 billion, as a "London success story".[28] By that October, its technology was employed by 90% of the Fortune 100,[29] and Synthesia 3.0 was launched, with hyper-realistic digital avatars equipped with AI-powered dubbing and translation, and a built-in video assistant.[30][31] In January 2026, it reached a $4 billion valuation, with 70% of FTSE 100 companies noted among its customers.[32]
Funding
The company raised $3.1 million in seed funding in 2019.[3] In April 2021, the company raised $12.5 million in Series A funding.[8] In December 2021, it raised $50 million in a Series B funding round led by Kleiner Perkins and GV (then Google Ventures).[33]
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.[34][35]
