Prezi

Prezi is a privately held presentation-software company founded in Budapest in 2009 by architect and interaction designer Adam Somlai-Fischer, computer scientist Peter Halacsy, and entrepreneur Peter Arvai. Its name is derived from the Hungarian word “prezentáció,” meaning presentation. The company developed a presentation model that differs from conventional slide-by-slide software: instead of arranging content only as a linear sequence, users can place ideas on a large visual canvas and navigate between them through zooming, panning, and spatial relationships. This format was designed to help presenters show connections between concepts and create a more conversational visual narrative. Prezi incorporated in May 2009 and received an early significant investment from TED, whose conference environment helped establish the service among speakers, educators, and communications professionals. Later in 2009, the company opened an office in San Francisco, giving it a base in the United States while retaining its Hungarian origins. During the early 2010s, Prezi expanded from a browser-oriented presentation service into a multi-device platform. It released an iPad application in 2011, raised a $14 million Series B round led by Accel Partners that year, and introduced an iPhone application in 2012. These developments supported the use of presentations on mobile devices as well as on desktop computers. The company broadened its educational and enterprise reach during the middle of the decade. In 2014, Prezi committed $100 million in free licenses to Title I schools through the Obama administration’s ConnectED initiative, supporting adoption by teachers and schools in the United States. It also announced $57 million in additional funding from Spectrum Equity and Accel Partners. Product expansion included Nutshell, a photo-based mini-movie application, an Android application, and Prezi Business. Introduced in 2016, Prezi Business added tools for collaborative work, commenting, co-editing, presentation analytics, Slack integration, and remote presentation sessions. In 2017, the company released Prezi Next, an HTML5-based successor to its earlier presentation platform, and acquired Infogram, a Latvia-based data-visualization company. The acquisition helped extend Prezi’s scope beyond presentations into charts, maps, reports, infographics, and other visual content. Prezi later renamed Prezi Next as Prezi Present in 2019, emphasizing visual storytelling as an alternative to conventional slide software. The platform continued to support reusable templates, a redesigned editing experience, mobile viewing through Prezi Viewer, and some augmented-reality presentation capabilities. Prezi increasingly focused on virtual communication as online meetings and remote education became more important. In November 2019, it launched Prezi Video, enabling presenters to appear alongside their visual material inside live or recorded video. The tool was designed to preserve a face-to-face connection while allowing speakers to point to, discuss, and manipulate visual content in a manner comparable to a television presenter. Integrations were offered for services including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, Slack, Facebook, GoToWebinar, and Webex. Teachers became an important early audience, and by April 2020 Prezi reported use of Prezi Video by teachers in 175 countries. In 2020, Prezi introduced Prezi Design, a cloud-based visual-design product that supported infographics, charts, maps, and reports; the product has subsequently been referred to as Infographics. The same year, Jim Szafranski became chief executive officer, while co-founder Peter Arvai moved from the CEO role to executive chairman. In 2024, Prezi introduced Prezi AI, which assists users in organizing and designing presentations from supplied material while retaining the company’s emphasis on dynamic, non-linear layouts. By 2025, Prezi stated that its platform had more than 160 million users worldwide and that users had created approximately 400 million presentations. Its customer base spans education, business, sales, marketing, professional communications, conferences, and creative work. The brand is associated with visual storytelling, interactive presentations, remote and on-screen communication, data visualization, and alternatives to traditional linear slide decks.

Prezi began in Budapest in 2009 when Adam Somlai-Fischer, Peter Halacsy, and Peter Arvai developed a presentation approach based on a zoomable visual canvas rather than a fixed sequence of slides. The company incorporated on May 20, 2009, and received early investment from TED. A San Francisco office opened later that year, helping the service reach an international audience while maintaining its Hungarian founding connection. The first phase of Prezi’s development centered on establishing its web presentation platform and making it accessible across devices. An iPad application was released in early 2011, followed by a $14 million Series B financing round led by Accel Partners. An iPhone application followed in late 2012. These products made it easier for presenters to create, view, and deliver visual narratives away from a desktop computer. Education became a major adoption channel. In 2014, Prezi pledged $100 million in free licenses to Title I schools through the ConnectED initiative associated with the Obama administration. The company also announced $57 million in new funding from Spectrum Equity and Accel Partners. Its product family expanded in 2015 with Nutshell, a tool for turning photographs into short visual movies, and an Android application. In 2016, Prezi Business added enterprise-oriented features including analytics, collaboration, commenting, co-editing, Slack integration, and remote presentation rooms. Prezi rebuilt its core technology around HTML5 with the release of Prezi Next in 2017. That year it also acquired Infogram, a Latvian data-visualization company. The transaction broadened Prezi’s capabilities into infographics, charts, reports, and maps. The company also observed that presentations were increasingly being delivered remotely or through digital communications rather than only from a stage. This led to a strategic emphasis on virtual meetings and integration with communications software. In 2019, Prezi Next was renamed Prezi Present. The change reinforced the brand’s focus on visual storytelling and positioned its zoomable canvas as an alternative to traditional slide decks. In November of that year, Prezi launched Prezi Video. The product allowed a speaker to appear within the same visual frame as presentation content during a live meeting or recorded video. It was made available through integrations with services such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Webex, and other communication platforms. The shift toward remote education and work accelerated Prezi Video adoption in 2020. Prezi reported teachers using the product in 175 countries by April of that year. It also launched Prezi Design, later associated with the Infographics product line, for creating visual reports, charts, maps, and other materials. In July 2020, Jim Szafranski became CEO after serving as chief operating officer, president, and a board member; co-founder Peter Arvai became executive chairman. Prezi continued to develop products for visual communication and, in 2024, introduced Prezi AI. The feature uses artificial intelligence to help transform user-provided content into organized presentation structures and designs while maintaining Prezi’s dynamic, non-linear approach. By 2025, the company reported more than 160 million users worldwide and roughly 400 million presentations created on the platform. Its uses include education, corporate communications, sales, marketing, conferences, remote meetings, and creative visual work.

• 2024

  Prezi AI introduced

  [1]Prezien.wikipedia.org

  Prezi launched an AI-assisted presentation-generation feature for structuring and designing content.

• 2022

  Zoom partner recognition

  [1]Prezien.wikipedia.org

  Prezi received Zoom’s ISV Integration Partner of the Year award at Zoomtopia Partner Connect.

• 2020

  Prezi Design launches and leadership changes

  [1]Prezien.wikipedia.org

  Prezi launched a cloud-based visual-design tool and appointed Jim Szafranski CEO, with Peter Arvai becoming executive chairman.

• 2019

  Prezi Next becomes Prezi Present

  [1]Prezien.wikipedia.org

  Prezi renamed its flagship presentation platform and launched Prezi Video for presentations embedded in live or recorded video.

• 2017

  Prezi Next and Infogram acquisition

  [1]Prezien.wikipedia.org

  The company released the HTML5-based Prezi Next and acquired Infogram, expanding into data visualization.

• 2016

  Prezi Business launches

  [1]Prezien.wikipedia.org

  Prezi introduced a business-focused product with analytics, collaboration tools, Slack integration, commenting, co-editing, and remote presentation capabilities.

• 2014

  ConnectED education commitment and new funding

  [1]Prezien.wikipedia.org

  Prezi pledged free licenses valued at $100 million to Title I schools through ConnectED and announced $57 million in funding from Spectrum Equity and Accel Partners.

• 2012

  iPhone application launches

  [1]Prezien.wikipedia.org

  Prezi extended its mobile platform with an iPhone application.

• 2011

  First iPad application and Series B financing

  [1]Prezien.wikipedia.org

  Prezi released an iPad application and raised $14 million in Series B venture funding led by Accel Partners.

• 2009

  Prezi is founded and incorporated

  [1]Prezien.wikipedia.org

  Adam Somlai-Fischer, Peter Halacsy, and Peter Arvai founded Prezi in Budapest. The company incorporated on May 20 and received early investment from TED; it later opened a San Francisco office.

Prezi positions itself as a visual-communication and storytelling platform offering a more spatial, dynamic, and interactive alternative to conventional slide-based presentation software. Its offering serves educators, students, businesses, sales and marketing teams, presenters, and remote-meeting participants.

• Presentation software · 2019

  Prezi Present

  Prezi Present is the company’s flagship presentation platform. It uses an open, zoomable canvas in which users can arrange topics, images, video, and other media spatially, then guide viewers through the material. The product includes templates, an updated editor, presentation-sharing capabilities, and mobile viewing through Prezi Viewer. Its core distinction is a non-linear visual structure intended to show relationships among ideas rather than restrict the presenter to a sequence of independent slides.

• Video presentation software · 2019

  Prezi Video

  Prezi Video lets a presenter appear alongside visual content inside a live or recorded video. The format is intended to preserve direct audience connection while allowing the speaker to point to and discuss presentation material. It supports virtual meetings, online teaching, webinars, and recorded communications, and has been integrated with services including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Webex, and other video or collaboration platforms.

• Data visualization and visual design · 2020

  Prezi Design / Infographics

  Prezi Design is a cloud-based visual-design tool associated with the Infogram product line. It enables users to create charts, maps, reports, infographics, and other visual materials. The product extends Prezi beyond presentation delivery by supporting the production of standalone visual content for business reporting, education, marketing, and digital communication.

• AI-assisted presentation creation · 2024

  Prezi AI

  Prezi AI assists users in converting supplied material into presentation structures and visual designs. Its approach applies generative and organizational assistance to Prezi’s dynamic canvas model, emphasizing adaptive layouts and visual relationships rather than merely reproducing a conventional linear slide deck.

• Mobile presentation viewer

  Prezi Viewer

  Prezi Viewer provides access to Prezi presentations on mobile devices. It supports viewing and presenting content created through the Prezi platform and has been available for Android and iOS users.

• Enterprise presentation and collaboration software · 2016

  Prezi Business

  Prezi Business was designed for sales, marketing, and other professional teams. In addition to the core presentation canvas, it offered collaboration features, comments, co-editing, presentation analytics, Slack integration, and Live Prezi functionality for remote presentation sessions.

• Mobile visual storytelling application · 2015

  Nutshell

  Nutshell was a Prezi application for turning photographs into short visual movies or mini-movies. It represented an early expansion from presentation software into lightweight, mobile-oriented visual storytelling.

• 2014ConnectED education license commitment

  United States

  Prezi worked with the ConnectED initiative associated with the Obama administration and pledged free Prezi licenses to Title I schools, supporting teachers and students in under-resourced school communities.

  Outcome. The initiative supported adoption by hundreds of thousands of U.S. teachers and schools, according to the cited reference material.

  Source
• Conference and education adoption

  International

  Prezi has been used in conference and educational settings by organizations and institutions including the Clinton Foundation, Lufthansa, IBM, The Independent, TED, and SXSW.

  Outcome. These uses helped associate the brand with public speaking, visual storytelling, teaching, and professional communication.

  Source

• 2024

  Introduce Prezi AIProduct launch

  Background

  Generative artificial intelligence was becoming increasingly relevant to the creation and organization of business and educational content.

  Action taken

  Prezi introduced AI assistance for organizing user-provided content and generating presentation designs within its dynamic canvas approach.

  Aftermath

  Prezi added AI-assisted creation while retaining its differentiation around non-linear visual presentation layouts.

  Source

• 2020

  Launch Prezi DesignProduct launch

  Background

  Prezi’s visual-communication strategy extended beyond presentation delivery to the creation of standalone visual materials.

  Action taken

  The company introduced a cloud-based tool for charts, reports, maps, infographics, and related designs.

  Aftermath

  The product broadened the brand’s role in visual communication and was later associated with the Infographics name.

  Source

• 2019

  Rename Prezi Next as Prezi PresentGeneration change

  Background

  Prezi wanted to clarify the flagship platform’s role as a visual-storytelling product and distinguish its model from traditional slide-based presentation tools.

  Action taken

  The company renamed Prezi Next to Prezi Present and updated the platform’s editor, templates, viewer experience, and presentation capabilities.

  Aftermath

  The Prezi Present name became the principal identity for the company’s core presentation product.

  Source

• 2019

  Launch Prezi VideoProduct launch

  Background

  Presentations were increasingly being delivered through online meetings, webinars, and recorded video rather than only in physical venues.

  Action taken

  Prezi launched a tool that places presenters and visual content together within live or recorded video.

  Aftermath

  The product became especially relevant to remote education and virtual meetings, with reported teacher use in 175 countries by April 2020.

  Source

• 2017

  Broaden from presentations into data visualizationStrategy

  Background

  Prezi identified an opportunity to serve a wider range of visual-communication needs, including charts, maps, and infographics.

  Action taken

  Prezi released Prezi Next and acquired Infogram, a Latvia-based data-visualization company.

  Aftermath

  The product portfolio expanded beyond presentation decks into data-driven visual content.

  Source

• 2011

  Expand into mobile presentation accessOther

  Background

  As mobile devices became important presentation and content-consumption platforms, Prezi sought to make its service available beyond desktop browsers.

  Action taken

  The company launched its first iPad application and later released an iPhone application.

  Aftermath

  Prezi became accessible across additional mobile devices, supporting presentation viewing and delivery away from a desktop computer.

  Source

• 2024

  Prezi introduces Prezi AI[1]Prezien.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Prezi introduced an artificial-intelligence feature intended to help users organize source material and generate presentation designs in the company’s non-linear visual format.

• 2022

  Prezi receives Zoom ISV Integration Partner of the Year recognition[1]Prezien.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Zoom recognized Prezi at Zoomtopia Partner Connect for its role in enabling on-screen content and more engaging video meetings.

• 2020

  Prezi names Jim Szafranski chief executive officer[1]Prezien.wikipedia.org

  Leadership change

  Jim Szafranski became CEO, while co-founder Peter Arvai transitioned to the executive-chairman role.

• 2020

  Prezi expands into cloud-based visual design[1]Prezien.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The company launched Prezi Design, a tool for creating charts, reports, maps, infographics, and related visual materials.

• 2019

  Prezi launches Prezi Video[1]Prezien.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Prezi introduced a tool that places a presenter and visual content together within live or recorded video, with integrations for major meeting and communications platforms.

1. 1Prezien.wikipedia.org
2. 2Prezi official websiteprezi.com