Neosapience, a Korean startup, is on the brink of disrupting Hollywood with its voice and video AI platform. Founded by former Qualcomm engineers in 2017, Neosapience has developed a synthetic voice and video platform, Typecast, that can translate written texts into lifelike, human sounding voices. In addition, the company has created a realistic, adjustable video avatar as well.
Clients include Hybe Edu, an education focused subsidiary of South Korea’s entertainment giant Hybe. The company is using Neosapience’s technology to recreate the famous BTS boy band singers’ voices for their educational resources. A top Korean YouTuber is using the same technology for dubbing, and SNL Korea, a spinoff of the US original, implemented the Typecast for a character in the show.
Seeing the growing demand for its AI technology in Hollywood and an opportunity to expand in the United States, Neosapience announced a Series B funding round of 21.5 million dollars in 2022. This amount was led by BRV Capital Management and will be used to expand the business in the States.
To put the operation in motion, Neosapience has tapped former Warner Bros. Discovery executive Tony Shin to lead the American expansion. Shin has had experience with DC Comics and several other entertainment projects which could open up different opportunities for Neosapience in the US.
Neosapience’s founder and CEO Taesu Kim believes that large entertainment companies could use their platform to add voiceovers to documentaries and create AI-driven video characters. The startup is currently developing a proof of concept project with a well-known animated movie studio.
AI technology could make it easier for production studios to make content, making this a viable business. Kim expresses his hopes for democratizing content creation and making the task of creating videos and audio easier for the entertainment industry. Despite the fact that this technology could uncover or even replace some jobs, Kim maintains an optimistic outlook and believes AI will also create new kinds of work.
Neosapience’s pitch deck has proven to be successful, raising the company 21.5 million dollars to expand to the US. With its AI platform, the company is determined to make inroads into the Hollywood market, providing a new wave of content-making capabilities.
