Synthesia, AI video start-up valued at over $4 billion and scaling rapidly

Herz — Tech & Science Desk · 22 July 2026 at 04:28 · 30s summary · 3 min read

What we know

Synthesia, founded in London in 2017 by Victor Riparbelli and Matthias Nießner—a computer science professor at the Technische Universität München (Munich University of Technology)—generates videos with AI-powered virtual presenters. In January 2026, according to Handelsblatt, the start-up completed a $200 million+ funding round, pushing its valuation above $4 billion.

Nearly every major German blue-chip company and 90 of the 100 largest US corporations by revenue now use the platform. Clients include SAP, Bosch, Merck and Metro. Bosch alone has created tens of thousands of AI videos via the platform, used daily by thousands of employees.

Victor Riparbelli was invited to the 2026 G7 summit in Evian, where he discussed AI with Europe's technology and political leadership.

New tools for training and recruitment

Synthesia is launching an interactive video feature in the form of AI role-playing simulations. One AI agent plays a prospective customer questioning a salesperson, while a second agent acts as a coach and provides recommendations at the end of the simulation.

The company also offers an API that allows other applications to integrate its avatars in real time. This positions Synthesia not merely as a video platform, but as a technology provider.

By end of 2026, Synthesia plans to launch AI agents capable of interacting with customers, gathering feedback and pre-screening job applicants.

Key figures