Case study
Founded in 2017 by a team of AI researchers with a mission to empower everyone to make high quality video content – Synthesia now serves more than 55,000 companies worldwide.
| Region/Nation | London |
|---|---|
| Sector | Technology |
| Programme | Long-term Investment for Technology and Science (LIFTS) |
| Partner |
Background
Synthesia was founded in 2017 by a team of AI researchers with a mission to empower everyone to make high quality video content – without the need for cameras, microphones or studios. Since then, Synthesia has grown rapidly, swiftly becoming a unicorn in 2023 when it surpassed $1bn valuation and it now serves more than 55,000 companies worldwide, including 50% of the Fortune 100.
Support from the Bank
Schroders Capital has been supported by the British Business Bank's Long-Term Investment for Technology and Science (LIFTS) initiative (LIFTS), which was set up to establish new funds or investment structures to crowd in UK institutional investment, particularly Defined Contribution (DC) pension funds, and support the growth and ambitions of the UK’s most innovative science and technology companies.
Under the programme, the Bank completed a £250m investment into Schroders Capital’s new Long Term Asset Fund (LTAF). The LTAF, approved by the UK's Financial Conduct Authority, was the first of its kind dedicated to UK venture capital and accessible to pension funds and other institutional investors.
Schroders Capital began making its first investments through this vehicle in January 2025, including into Synthesia. This investment fuelled the organisation’s next phase of growth, supporting talent acquisition and product development, enabling the expansion of Synthesia’s AI-powered video platform into core markets, including Japan, Australia, Europe and North America. This investment was made through Schroders Capital’s co-investment partner and Synthesia seed investor, MMC Ventures.
Now a leader in enterprise AI video creation, Synthesia’s technology significantly reduces the cost and time of producing videos and it can generate text-to-video in 140+ languages and 100+ diverse avatars. It provides businesses with an AI-powered video creation platform that eliminates the need for costly production setups like cameras, actors, and studios.
In April 2025, Synthesia hit the $100m ARR (annual recurring revenue) milestone and reached $1.1m of ARR in a single day. In January 2025, Synthesia doubled its valuation to $2.1bn, following a $180m Series D funding round, establishing it as an AI leader and one of the UK’s most promising and fastest-growing companies.
Our success is proof that the UK is an innovation hub, where entrepreneurs and early-stage businesses, with the right support, can grow and succeed. Now, Synthesia is recognised as the leading GenAI video creation platform with an ever-growing customer base which includes some of the biggest organisations from across the world. - Alexandru Voica Head of Corporate Affairs & Policy, Synthesia
LIFTS is a critically important initiative and will play a vital role in establishing the market leaders of tomorrow. Our UK Innovation LTAF has helped to unlock the untapped potential of the UK’s best and brightest early-stage companies, and, in this instance, has supported the rise of one of the UK’s most innovative scale-ups. We look forward to seeing Synthesia’s continued growth and success and delivering our commitment to fostering the growth of innovation in the UK whilst also bringing value for savers across the country. - Harry Raikes Head of UK Venture Investments, Schroders Capital
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