NTT Finance, financial group company of Japanese telecommunications giant NTT, invested in D-ID, the world leader in AI-driven creative media. The funding is part of D-ID’s recent $25 million Series B round. The round was led by investment firm Macquarie Capital, with significant investments from Pitango, AXA Venture Partners, OurCrowd, OIF Ventures, Maverick and Marubeni. The new infusion brings D-ID’s total funding to $48 million.
Investment in D-ID was facilitated by NTT Innovation Laboratory Israel (NTT Israel), a wholly owned subsidiary of NTT that serves as an internal strategic resource to breakthrough innovation from Israel. NTT Israel’s mission is to support the evolution of NTT Group customer businesses, promote innovation and digital transformation. NTT Israel collaborates with Israeli companies and academia developing cutting-edge technologies in Cyber Security, Digital Health, AI, Robotics and other various fields, as well as promoting investment opportunities with Israeli companies.
The proceeds from this round, from investors across three continents, will allow D-ID to double the number of experts on its world-class deep-learning and computer vision teams, broadening the scope and reach of its pioneering technology as it continues to produce products that transform the digital-human interface. The round will also enable D-ID to expand and support the company’s sales and marketing teams in the United States, APAC and EMEA.
D-ID uses AI and deep learning to develop reenactment-based products ranging from animating still photos to developing high-quality digital avatars. D-ID’s wide range of customers include Warner Bros. Studios, Mondelēz, Publicis and MyHeritage, whom D-ID partnered with to create the viral sensation Deep Nostalgia, which has created nearly 100M animations since its launch, and more recently, LiveStory, which enables the creation of AI-generated biographical videos narrated by photos of users’ ancestors. D-ID has also partnered with The Glimpse Group (NASDAQ: VRAR), a diversified virtual reality and augmented reality platform, to develop AI, AR and VR applications for the Metaverse. D-ID is leading the charge to leverage Synthetic Media for good. The company has worked with nonprofit organizations and governments in public awareness campaigns on sensitive issues such as domestic violence and HIV awareness.
This new round of funding comes on the heels of a whirlwind of success for D-ID. In early March, the company was named by Fast Company as one of the Most Innovative Companies of 2022 in EMEA. In February, D-ID won best use of AI in the Digiday Marketing and Advertising Awards Europe, and in January, the company’s proprietary Live Portrait technology was named a finalist for the prestigious SXSW Innovation Award.
“We are grateful for this vote of confidence from NTT group, and thrilled to embark on a meaningful partnership that will enable us to continue expanding and strengthening our relationships and reach within Japan and globally,” said Gil Perry, CEO and Co-Founder of D-ID.
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