Synthesia is one of Britain's largest generative-artificial-intelligence firms by revenue. It turns written prompts into polished videos featuring digital avatars. Valued at over $2bn, it is one of the few AI unicorns Britain can claim.
Synthesia was founded in London in 2017 by Victor Riparbelli, a Dane who had wanted to move to California but was denied an American visa, and researchers from University College London who were working on real-time digital avatars. Early backers included Mark Cuban, the American billionaire, as well as London-based investors. In 2018 Synthesia helped David Beckham appear to speak nine languages in a charity campaign.
Synthesia's niche is corporate customers. Instead of making employees wade through training packs and PowerPoints, clients can churn out video clips in dozens of languages at a fraction of the cost. Users choose from hundreds of avatars modelled on actors. The firm claims to sell to four-fifths of America's Fortune-100 companies. In April 2025 it crossed $100m in annual recurring revenue, a benchmark for startups. It has more than 500 staff.
The firm restricts political and sexual content and moderates content tightly. Even so, its software has been used to spread disinformation in places as far afield as Burkina Faso and Venezuela. Its focus on "responsible AI" has become central to its brand, according to Oguz Acar, a marketing professor at King's College London.
Synthesia's platform enables users to script, edit, translate and publish entire videos. The firm is developing interactive AI "agents" that can role-play a sales call, train a new hire or give instant feedback—enterprise software that makes money even if it does not grab headlines.
London, where Synthesia is headquartered, is by far Europe's biggest venture-capital hub. Yet growing British tech firms often choose to list their shares in America, where capital markets are deeper, or sell out to global giants. Mr Riparbelli has been scathing about London's stockmarket, saying "it looks more like a hospice than a stock exchange." He laments "old money" that prefers "rent-seeking" to innovation. Quantexa, a data-analytics firm, is rumoured to be heading for New York; Synthesia could follow.
You will give someone a piece of your mind, which you can ill afford.