Synthesia was born from a meeting between entrepreneur Victor Riparbelli and Professor Matthias Niessner, whose groundbreaking research at Stanford on AI-generated video had captured global attention. Riparbelli, who had been exploring VR, AR, and AI startup ideas, saw an opportunity to turn academic AI video generation research into a practical business tool.

The Founding Team

In 2017, Riparbelli assembled a founding team of four: himself as CEO, operations co-founder Steffen Tjerrild, and two world-class AI professors — Matthias Niessner from TU Munich and Lourdes Agapito from UCL. Their mission: "replace cameras with code and make everyone a creator."

Enterprise-First Growth

The early years were about building the core technology and finding product-market fit. Synthesia's breakthrough was AI avatars — photorealistic digital presenters that could deliver scripted content in 160+ languages without cameras, studios, or actors. By 2020, major enterprises like Amazon, Tiffany & Co., and IHG Hotels were using the platform for training videos, marketing content, and internal communications.

The Product-Led Flywheel

The product-led growth flywheel kicked in: teams within organizations discovered Synthesia, started creating videos on the self-serve plan at $30/month, and then expanded usage across departments. Synthesia went from 4,000 customers in 2021 to 50,000 by mid-2023, achieving unicorn status at $1B valuation.

• Founded: 2017
• Seed: $3.1M (2019)
• Series B: $50M (Kleiner Perkins + GV, December 2021)
• Unicorn: $1B valuation (June 2023, Series C $90M)
• $100M ARR: April 2025
• Current: $4B valuation, 65K+ customers, 90% of Fortune 100