synthetic-media
(5)
Synthesia Found $4 Billion in the Gap Between PowerPoint and Pixar
The London startup began by making famous faces speak new languages. Its real business arrived when ordinary employees asked for something less glamorous: a way to turn the next PowerPoint, policy update or training manual into video without booking a studio.
D-ID Taught Photos to Talk. Now It Wants Every AI to Have a Face
The startup began by hiding faces from algorithms. A pivot, 200 million avatar videos and one acquisition later, it is betting that the next software interface will look back at you.
Bezel
Bezel is a Y Combinator (W25) startup that generates studio-quality photos and videos of apparel on photorealistic AI human models. Fashion and e-commerce brands upload a clothing image, pick a preset model, and get shoot-ready stills and video in seconds - replacing shoots that cost thousands of dollars and take days. Founded in 2025 in New York by Kashyap Achar, the company positions itself as an on-demand content engine for brands that need constant creative variety for ad testing.
DeepBrain AI
DeepBrain AI is a generative-AI company that builds hyper-realistic digital humans. Its flagship platform, AI Studios, turns plain text scripts into professional avatar-led videos in minutes, while its AI Human technology powers real-time conversational avatars used in kiosks, virtual receptionists, banking, and AI news anchors. Founded in Seoul in 2016 and now operating from Palo Alto and beyond, the company serves enterprises across media, finance, education, and the public sector with tools that remove cameras, studios, and actors from video production.
Loti AI
Loti AI is a Seattle-based startup that scans the public internet to find, verify, and remove unauthorized uses of a person's face and voice - including deepfakes, AI impersonations, scams, and leaked content. Founded in 2022 by Luke Arrigoni, Rebekah Arrigoni, and Hirak Chhatbar, the company began protecting A-list celebrities through talent agencies like WME and CAA, then opened a free consumer tier so anyone can claim control of their own likeness. Its automated takedown engine removes flagged content with roughly a 95% success rate, typically within about 17 hours.