Synthesia CEO Victor Riparbelli Bet on AI Video Before ChatGPT — Secured Mark Cuban's Investment in 2017
Victor Riparbelli, the 34-year-old CEO of Synthesia, co-founded his London-based startup in 2017 with a vision to revolutionize video creation using AI. At that time, many investors dismissed the idea as unrealistic sci-fi. Despite over 100 rejections, Mark Cuban became an early backer after receiving a cold email from Riparbelli’s co-founder Steffen Tjerrild in 2017. Synthesia now has major clients like PepsiCo and Heineken and was recently valued at $4 billion following a $200 million funding round. The company's success reflects the broader surge of AI investment, with global venture capital allocating 61% to AI startups in 2025. Riparbelli shared how Synthesia initially struggled under an ambitious Hollywood-focused model before pivoting successfully toward enterprise clients using text-to-video tools for training and presentations.
Topics: AI startups Synthesia venture_capital