Synthesia
Company
Key facts about this entity
- Founded 2017; headquartered in London
- Unicorn: June 2023, $90 million Series C led by Accel at $1 billion
- January 2025: $180 million Series D led by NEA at $2.1 billion
- January 2026: $200 million Series E led by GV at $4 billion
- TUM link: co-founder Matthias Niessner, TUM professor (not a TUM alumnus per his published biography)
- Listed on TUM's 'Unicorns founded by TUM alumni' list (dated 4 August 2026) as operational
Entity Profile
Overview
Synthesia Limited builds enterprise software that turns text into video presented by AI avatars and synthetic voices, used mainly for corporate training and internal communications. It is headquartered in London.
Why this entity matters
Synthesia is on the Technical University of Munich's August 2026 list of unicorns founded by TUM alumni, supplied to Startuprad.io by UnternehmerTUM's press office in October 2026. Its TUM link is co-founder Matthias Niessner, a TUM professor; according to his published biography he studied at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, which makes Synthesia a TUM research link rather than an alumni one. No UnternehmerTUM programme or UVC Partners investment has been documented.
Company history and product
Founded in 2017 by Victor Riparbelli, Steffen Tjerrild and academics Matthias Niessner and Lourdes Agapito (UCL), Synthesia became a unicorn in June 2023 with a $90 million Series C led by Accel at $1 billion. A $180 million Series D led by NEA in January 2025 valued it at $2.1 billion, and a $200 million Series E led by GV in January 2026 valued it at $4 billion, with an employee secondary at the same price.
Role in the European start-up landscape
Synthesia is a UK company. Its connection to Germany runs through Matthias Niessner's research group at TUM; TUM described it as a TUM spin-off in July 2023.
Selected relationships and affiliations
Founders: Victor Riparbelli (CEO), Steffen Tjerrild (COO), Matthias Niessner (scientific co-founder, TUM professor), Lourdes Agapito (scientific co-founder, UCL). Investors: GV (Series E lead), NEA (Series D lead), Accel (Series C lead), Kleiner Perkins, NVentures, MMC Ventures.
Startuprad.io relevance
Synthesia is covered in Startuprad.io's Unicorn Atlas special on the 23-company list of unicorns founded by TUM alumni, which UnternehmerTUM's press office supplied to Startuprad.io in October 2026. The special checks each company's TUM link, its billion-dollar milestone and any documented UnternehmerTUM programme or investment.
Public source context
This profile is drawn from public sources including TechCrunch, UCL, TUM and Startuprad.io coverage. Time-sensitive figures, including valuations and ownership, are reported with their dates and should be re-verified against primary sources before commercial use.
Startuprad.io coverage of Synthesia
Synthesia appears in the following Startuprad.io interviews, news and analysis.
Exclusive: The 23-Unicorn List UnternehmerTUM Gave Us — and Where Its Role Is on Record
Published: 26 October 2026
Last updated: 26 October 2026
Coverage type: Analysis
https://www.startuprad.io/post/exclusive-the-23-unicorn-list-unternehmertum-gave-us-and-where-its-role-is-on-record
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Canonical record: https://www.startuprad.io/entities/synthesia