Lightspeed Venture Partners has invested in direct and cross-border. They invest across several stages and sectors, including technology-led businesses as well as non-technology opportunities in sectors such as advertising and media, business services, financial services, healthcare, education, and retail.

Lightspeed India Partners

They bring decades of experience with a hands-on approach to working closely with start-ups. Their investment and support team leverages deep technical, entrepreneurial and venture experience to help their companies succeed. Their network includes some of the brightest minds in health, machine learning, enterprise technology, mobility, robotics, hard sciences and biology.

AV8 Ventures

Techstars is a global platform that provides investment and innovation. Through the Techstars Worldwide Entrepreneur Network, founders and their teams connect with other entrepreneurs, experts, mentors, alumni, investors, community leaders, and corporate partners who will help their companies grow. Techstars operates four divisions: Techstars Mentorship-Driven Accelerator Program supercharges success and Techstars Startup Programs inspire, educate, and connect entrepreneurs. Techstars Venture Capital Fund invests in innovative and disruptive companies. Techstars Corporate Innovation Partnerships help brands create products and services. Techstars' accelerator portfolio includes more than 1,000 companies with a market cap of $8.1 billion.

Techstars

Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs offers a world-class accelerator for connectivity, media, and entertainment entrepreneurs.

Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs

Over the last twenty years, Red Ventures has built a portfolio of influential brands, digital platforms, and strategic partnerships that work together to connect millions of people with expert advice. Through premium content and personalized digital experiences, Red Ventures builds online journeys that make it easier for people to make important decisions about their homes, health, travel, finances, education and entertainment. Founded in 2000, Red Ventures has 3,000 employees in 10 cities across the US, as well as in the UK and Brazil. Red Ventures owns and operates several large digital brands including Healthline, The Points Guy, Bankrate, MYMOVE, and Allconnect.com.

Red Ventures

Silver Lake is a global technology investment firm focused solely on making large-scale investments in leading technology companies. They are partners to world-class management teams that seek to use their capital and expertise to build and extend their market leadership. seeks to formulate its investments to enable growth and frequently employs conservative capital structures designed to drive aggressive investment in new initiatives, innovation, and business expansion. Their core investment thesis is that the technology industries represent an extraordinary yet under-exploited target for large-scale private investments. The firm also seeks to cultivate proprietary or specialized investment opportunities not typically available to generalist investors. It devotes its full scope of talent and intellectual capital to the singular mission of investing in the world’s technology, technology-enabled businesses, and related growth businesses. Silver Lake was established in 1999 by David Roux, Glenn Hutchins, Jim Davidson, and Roger McNamee and is based in Menlo Park, California.

Silver Lake

8VC seeks to enable industry transformation. In a wave of creative destruction, they believe emerging platforms will replace the decades-old technology infrastructure behind many industries, promoting greater innovation and prosperity.

Rephrase.ai

Rephrase.ai helps in creating videos and animations through an AI-powered visual dubbing tool. It is a developer of a video creation technology designed to take any piece of text and create a video of any person speaking that text. Its video creation technology uses generative AI tools to learn people's facial features corresponding to any spoken audio, and then reconstructs photorealistic faces for any new given text or audio and help clients to create training videos, personalize videos for sales, make characters speak in AR/VR and give a face to digital assistants.

Rephrase.ai is an artificial intelligence company founded in 2019 in Bangalore, India, that specializes in creating high-quality, personalized video content using AI-generated digital avatars. The company's core technology allows users to produce videos by simply inputting text, which is then transformed into lifelike video content featuring realistic digital clones of human speakers. Rephrase.ai's platform utilizes deep learning and computer vision to analyze facial features, lip movements, and voice modulations to create accurate digital copies of individuals. This technology enables businesses to generate personalized videos at scale for various purposes such as sales, marketing, corporate communications, and training.

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Imbuing emotion into human-digital interactions

Digital Humans

Adobe enters into Indian generative AI space by taking over Rephrase.ai. All you need to know about the deal

Adobe

With the acquisition of Rephrase.ai, Adobe aims to improve its Creative Cloud products, extending its capabilities in GenAI videos.

Exploring the limitless possibilities of AI

Generative AI Applications

Companies that offer solutions to create and edit video content, including scene generation, background replacement, stylizing, and frame interpolation

Rephrase.ai is an artificial intelligence company founded in 2019 in Bangalore, India, that specializes in creating high-quality, personalized video content using AI-generated digital avatars. The company's core technology allows users to produce videos by simply inputting text, which is then transformed into lifelike video content featuring realistic digital clones of human speakers. Rephrase.ai's platform utilizes deep learning and computer vision to analyze facial features, lip movements, and voice modulations to create accurate digital copies of individuals. This technology enables businesses to generate personalized videos at scale for various purposes such as sales, marketing, corporate communications, and training.
The company offers a consumption-based SaaS business model, where clients pay a one-time fee for platform setup and then purchase credits to create additional videos. Rephrase.ai's technology has applications across multiple industries, including corporate communications, educational content creation, marketing, and personalized celebrity endorsements. In November 2023, Adobe Systems acquired Rephrase.ai to enhance its generative AI capabilities and integrate the technology into its Creative Cloud platform.

Inworld AI is a developer platform for creating AI-driven virtual characters for gaming, metaverse, and interactive experiences. Founded in July 2021 by Ilya Gelfenbeyn, Michael Ermolenko, and Kylan Gibbs, the company offers a Character Engine that uses advanced AI to build generative characters with personalities, thoughts, memories, and behaviors designed to mimic human interaction. Inworld's no-code studio allows writers, designers, and creators to easily develop AI characters that can be integrated into popular game engines like Unreal and Unity.
The company's technology goes beyond existing large language models and chatbots, orchestrating multiple machine learning models to enable multimodal character expression. Inworld's AI characters can learn, adapt, navigate relationships with emotional intelligence, have memory and recall, and autonomously initiate goals and actions. This allows for more dynamic and immersive experiences compared to traditional scripted non-player characters (NPCs) in games and virtual worlds. As of August 2023, Inworld AI had raised approximately USD 120 million in funding and was valued at over USD 500 million. The company plans to launch an open-source version of its Character Engine to further innovation in the gaming industry.
Key customers and partnerships
Inworld AI has worked with several notable companies and projects to implement its AI character technology. The company has created AI-driven NPC experiences for Team Miaozi (NetEase Games), Niantic 8th Wall, LG UPlus, and Alpine Electronics. Inworld's technology has also been used in community-created mods for popular games like Skyrim, Stardew Valley, and Grand Theft Auto V. In 2022, as part of the Disney Accelerator program, Inworld demonstrated a 'Droid Maker' prototype created in collaboration with ILM Immersive. The company's Character Engine is featured in Unity's AI Marketplace as a Unity Verified Solution, and Inworld has received an Epic MegaGrant from Epic Games. Additionally, Inworld AI has integrated its technology with Unreal Engine's MetaHumans to enhance character creation capabilities.

Inworld AI

Soul Machines, founded in 2016 by Greg Cross and Mark Sagar, specializes in creating hyper-realistic, autonomously animated digital people powered by artificial intelligence. The company's technology combines advanced AI, natural language processing, and computer graphics to produce interactive digital avatars that can engage in real-time conversations and respond with human-like facial expressions and emotions. Soul Machines' core product is its Digital DNA Studio, which allows users to design and deploy customized Digital People capable of integrating with GPT three and four to create engaging AI experiences. The company's autonomous animation technology is driven by a digital brain that simulates human behavior, resulting in highly lifelike digital avatars.
Soul Machines has developed various AI assistants for consumer use, including language learning, travel planning, and homework help avatars. These digital people are designed to provide personalized experiences and are available through a freemium model with monthly subscription options. The company's technology has been applied across multiple industries, including customer service, brand representation, and entertainment. In 2023, Soul Machines launched an Entertainment division aimed at creating digital twins of celebrities and athletes to enhance fan engagement.
As of July 2024, Soul Machines underwent significant changes in leadership and structure. Co-founders Greg Cross and Mark Sagar departed from their executive roles and board positions. Julie Kim, a former Uber marketing executive, took over as CEO in September 2023. The company also experienced layoffs and a shift in its business model, moving toward a more consumer-focused approach with its AI assistants.

Soul Machines

DeepBrain AI is a deep-learning-based video synthesis company specializing in AI-generated virtual humans. The company's flagship product, AI Studios, enables users to create high-definition videos featuring virtual humans by simply typing a script. DeepBrain AI's technology utilizes real-time artificial intelligence and video synthesis to generate realistic human-like AI avatars, reducing the cost and time of video production while improving digital engagement quality. The platform offers over 100 AI avatars proficient in more than 80 languages and voices, catering to diverse ethnicities and professions.
DeepBrain AI's solutions have applications across various industries, including media, finance, commerce, hospitality, and education. In March 2023, the company launched AI Studios 2.0, integrating ChatGPT for enhanced script generation. This release contributed to a 900% revenue growth for the quarter and a 533% increase in the user base. DeepBrain AI also introduced AI Interview in May 2023, combining generative AI video with OpenAI's large language model to streamline the interview screening process. The company's technology has been utilized in innovative ways, such as creating an AI avatar for a person diagnosed with ALS to help them communicate and stay connected.
As of July 2023, DeepBrain AI reported significant growth, doubling its US team size over the previous year. The company has established partnerships with major technology firms, joining the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Partner Network and becoming part of Lenovo's AI Innovator partner ecosystem. DeepBrain AI's commitment to innovation has been recognized with multiple awards, including the CES Innovation Awards in 2022 and 2023.

DeepBrain AI

Digital Domain is a renowned visual effects company founded in 1993 by film director James Cameron, visual effects pioneer Scott Ross, and make-up effects creator Stan Winston. The company specializes in creating visual effects for feature films, television, and other media. Digital Domain has worked on over 500 films, including blockbusters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Dune franchise, and award-winning productions like Titanic and RRR. The company has earned three Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects and has contributed to six of the top 20 highest-grossing films globally.
Digital Domain's technology portfolio includes Masquerade, a facial motion capture system used in films like Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. In April 2024, the company introduced Masquerade3, an advanced markerless facial capture technology that eliminates the need for tracking markers on actors' faces. This innovation aims to streamline production processes, reduce costs, and improve the quality of facial animations.
The company is expanding its focus beyond entertainment, exploring applications of its technology in sectors such as banking, education, elderly services, and tourism. In July 2024, Digital Domain announced plans to invest USUSD 26 million in a new research and development center at Hong Kong Science Park. This facility will concentrate on developing AI-powered virtual humans and advancing AI video production technology.
Despite its technological achievements, Digital Domain has faced financial challenges. After declaring bankruptcy in 2012, the company was acquired by Hong Kong-based Sun Innovation Holdings. In 2023, Digital Domain reported a 23% decline in revenue and a 45% decrease in gross profit compared to the previous year, resulting in its ninth consecutive year of financial losses.

Digital Domain

ObEN is an artificial intelligence company specializing in the creation of Personal AI (PAI) technology. Founded in 2014 and based in Pasadena, California, ObEN develops customized, intelligent digital avatars that can mimic the appearance, voice, and behavior of real individuals. The company's technology allows for the creation of digital likenesses capable of speaking in the user's voice in multiple languages, using only a small sample of speech and image data. These digital personas, known as PAIs, can be utilized in various applications including smartphone apps, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), gaming, and social networking.
ObEN's full-stack AI technology enables the rapid generation of 3D avatars from 2D selfies, complete with voice conversion capabilities and chatbot features. The company's products allow users and brands to create intelligent digital personas that can be customized to represent any person or character imaginable. ObEN's PAI Studio SaaS platform enables creators, enterprises, and developers to build, manage, and monetize unique interactive experiences using conversational, animated PAIs. This technology facilitates the economical generation of livestream, interactive, or video content.
Key customers and partnerships
ObEN has collaborated with several high-profile clients and partners. In February 2020, the company announced a partnership with Yoshimoto Kogyo, a major Japanese entertainment conglomerate, to bring AI-powered avatar technology to the Japanese market. This collaboration aimed to combine Yoshimoto's entertainment and celebrity IP with ObEN's avatar technology to revolutionize digital interactions between celebrities and fans.
ObEN has also worked with China Central Television (CCTV), creating AI avatars that appeared on the Network Spring Festival Gala in February 2019, which was viewed by nearly 300 million people. ObEN has developed celebrity avatars for Chinese music group SNH48 and formed a joint venture called AI Stars with S.M. Entertainment, Korea's largest entertainment company. This venture aims to connect celebrities with their fans through personalized AI avatars. Additionally, ObEN has worked on projects for investors and clients including SoftBank and NBA stars, demonstrating the wide-ranging applications of its technology across various industries.

ObEN

Digital humans that engage in two-way conversations for customer service and employee training

Digital humans that deliver responsive interactions for virtual events, social media, and entertainment

Interactive digital humans for applications in education, fashion, sports, and others

Digital humans for one-way customer and employee communications, including presentations, training modules, or informational videos, and the like

Digital humans as characters in movies, news reporting, virtual events, and television shows without two-way user interaction

Digital humans as characters for video games without two-way user interaction

Digital humans for applications in fashion, education, sports, and others without two-way user interaction

Several digital humans are integrated with GenAI models

NLP is used by digital humans to understand, process, and generate natural language

AI and ML are used in digital humans to process data and generate responses

Digital humans can be deployed in the metaverse for a variety of purposes, such as virtual customer service, virtual events, and virtual social interactions.

ANALYST_QUICK_TAKE

INCUMBENTS_PRESENT

<div>
 
 <ul>
 <li>Adobe has acquired Rephrase, a text-to-video technology company, for an undisclosed sum.</li>
 <li>Rephrase Studio, the flagship product of Rephrase, enables a user-friendly environment for creating professional videos. Users can choose a video template, an avatar of their preference with desired voices, and add the content to finalize the video.</li>
 <li>With the acquisition of Rephrase, Adobe aims to improve its Creative Cloud products, extending its capabilities in GenAI videos. Adobe’s suite will be enhanced with Rephrase's technology in converting text-to-video.</li>
 </ul>
 
</div> Analyst QuickTake: This move is in line with Adobe’s persistent effort to innovate and expand in the GenAI domain. In September, Adobe announced the <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/21847"> general availability </a> of its Firefly GenAI models in its Creative Cloud, Adobe Express, and Adobe Experience Cloud suite. The company launched Firefly as a standalone web app. Later, it launched a <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/22969"> generative fill feature </a> that uses AI to add or remove objects in videos powered by Adobe Firefly.&nbsp;

Rephrase.ai

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