# Soul Machines

> Soul Machines was a New Zealand-founded, San Francisco-headquartered deep-tech company that built lifelike, animated 'Digital People' - AI-driven avatars powered by a patented Digital Brain and Autonomous Animation technology modeled on human neuroscience. Spun out of the University of Auckland by Academy Award-winning technologist Dr. Mark Sagar and serial entrepreneur Greg Cross in 2016, it raised roughly US$135 million to bring emotionally responsive virtual humans to brands like Nestlé, P&G and the World Health Organization. After both founders departed and major customers moved on, the company was placed into receivership in February 2026.

- **Founded:** 2016
- **Headquarters:** San Francisco, California, United States (founded in Auckland, New Zealand)
- **Founders:** Mark Sagar (Co-Founder & former Chief Science Officer), Greg Cross (Co-Founder & former CEO)
- **Team size:** ~41 employees (late stage); scaled down from a larger peak
- **Products:** Digital People, Digital Brain, Digital DNA Studio / Soul Machines Studio, Digital Workforce & Workforce Connect, BabyX
- **Notable:** Founder Mark Sagar won two Scientific and Engineering Academy Awards (2010, 2011) for facial-animation technology used in films including Avatar and King Kong., Raised roughly US$135M (about NZ$225M) across multiple rounds from investors including SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Temasek, Salesforce Ventures and Horizons Ventures., Built and patented the Digital Brain and Autonomous Animation technology; held 14 patent families plus trademarks and trade secrets.

## Products & services

- **Digital People** — Autonomously animated, photorealistic virtual humans that engage in real-time face-to-face conversation for customer service, health, education and brand experiences.
- **Digital Brain** — Patented cognitive and affective modeling engine simulating perception, memory and emotional response - the neuroscience-inspired core behind Autonomous Animation.
- **Digital DNA Studio / Soul Machines Studio** — Self-serve, no-code platform for designing, customizing and deploying Digital People, later integrated with GPT-3/GPT-4 for generative conversation.
- **Digital Workforce & Workforce Connect** — Enterprise offering for deploying lifelike AI Digital Workers across an organization's channels.
- **BabyX** — Research project - an autonomous virtual infant that learns and reacts like a human baby; the technical foundation for the company's biological AI.

## Achievements

- Founder Mark Sagar won two Scientific and Engineering Academy Awards (2010, 2011) for facial-animation technology used in films including Avatar and King Kong.
- Raised roughly US$135M (about NZ$225M) across multiple rounds from investors including SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Temasek, Salesforce Ventures and Horizons Ventures.
- Built and patented the Digital Brain and Autonomous Animation technology; held 14 patent families plus trademarks and trade secrets.
- Deployed Digital People for global brands and institutions including the WHO, Nestlé, P&G and Twitch.
- Pioneered the 'digital human' category and the concept of biological/experiential AI.

## Latest updates

- **2022-02** — Raised US$70M Series B1 led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 to advance Digital People for interactive and metaverse experiences.
- **2022-06** — Announced partnership with Microsoft as an IP Co-Sell partner, bringing Digital People to Azure.
- **2023-06** — Updated its Creative Suite with democratized, GPT-powered AI tools for creators and influencers.
- **2023-09** — Co-founder and CEO Greg Cross resigned.
- **2024-06** — Co-founder Dr. Mark Sagar stepped down as director / chief science officer.
- **2026-02** — Placed into voluntary receivership; KPMG's Leon Bowker and Luke Norman appointed to run a sale of the business and assets.

## Links

- Website: https://www.soulmachines.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/soul-machines-os
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/soulmachines
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SoulMachines
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulmachines.ei/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SoulMachines.EI/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/soul-machines
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-10