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Synthesia

AI video creation platform

201-500 employees
  • B2B
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Internal tools
  • SaaS
  • Video
Kent House, 14/17 Market Place, London W1W 8AJ, United Kingdom

Company mission

To empower everyone to make video content - without cameras, microphones or studios.

Insights

Top investors

Many candidates hear
back within 2 weeks

40% female employees

139% employee growth in 12 months

Otta's take

Sam Franklin headshot

Sam Franklin

CEO of Otta

Video is an integral part of companies’ marketing strategies, and the adoption of synthetic media has grown in popularity. As organisations are investing in videos, startups are building platforms to support the process. Synthesia is an AI-powered video generation platform that saves enterprises up to 100x the cost and time of producing a video.

The company leverages deep learning to simulate real videos and real actors without the need for costly infrastructure like camera crews, actors, cameras, studios, and a lengthy post-production process. Synthesia’s first product STUDIO launched in public beta in the summer of 2020 and it is now used by 30,000+ companies, including the BBC, Teleperformance, Amazon, and Reuters.

Notably, Prof. Matthias Niessner, one of the co-founders of the company, is behind some of the most well-recognised research projects in the field Deep Video Portraits and Face2Face. The company's intuitive interface has grown to become the #1 rated video creation platform, proving its strong ability to capitalise on the growing AI in media market – which is estimated to be worth $99.48 Billion by 2030.

Benefits

  • 📍You will work in a hybrid setting with offices London, New York, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Munich & Zurich!
  • 💸 Stock options in our fast-growing Series C start-up
  • 🌴 25 days of annual leave + public holidays in the country where you are based
  • 🎉 Fun culture with regular socials and company retreats (Portugal, Copenhagen & Barcelona!)
  • 🍫 Office snacks and regular tasty lunches!
  • 🤑 Generous referral scheme
  • 🚀 A huge opportunity for career growth as you’ll help shape a market-defining product
  • 🏥 Private Medical Insurance (Medical History Disregarded basis) including mental health support, dental & vision, cashback and gym discounts.
  • 🍼 Paid parental leave entitling primary caregivers to 16 weeks of full pay, and secondary 5 weeks of full pay.

Company values

  • Outcomes over Inputs & Plans: We value outcomes and iterations, not inputs
  • Be an Owner: Acting like an owner is encouraged: Ask questions, challenge decisions and show leadership
  • Make the Journey Fun: We strive for an informal, low hierarchy culture where we can all be our true selves.
  • Default to Simple: Simple is better - until it's not. But in most cases we can stick to very simple solutions

Funding (last 2 of 5 rounds)

Jun 2023

$90m

SERIES C

Dec 2021

$50m

SERIES B

$156.5m

Total funding

This company has top investors

Founders

Experience working on growth and product at Aller Media and Founders. Co-founded Immersive Futures in 2016 and Coincall in 2017.

Steffen Tjerrild

(Co-Founder & COO & CFO)

Former Investment Manager at Kukula Capital and Business Developer at Founders.

Matthias Niessner

(Co-Founder)

Computer science professor at the Technical University Munich.

Lourdes Agapito

(Co-Founder)

Professor of 3D Computer Vision at University College London.

Endorsements

All

Autonomy (5)

Opportunities to learn (4)

Intelligent people (4)

Innovative product (4)

My opinions are valued (3)

Supportive management (3)

Fair compensation (3)

Nice people (2)

Challenging work (1)

Career progression (1)

Company is growing fast, leadership team is very on point and you are encouraged to do your best work - to figure it out. At the same time, you have all the support you need in case you get stuck. I've been at Synthesia for a year and despite having 8+ years of experience this last year I learnt and progress so much.

Marketing

Opportunities to learn

Dec 2022

You don't have to ask for permissions, there are no unnecessary meetings - if you are hired you are encouraged to take action and ownership. If you have an idea for something, just do it and see how it plays out - you can always fix it. That's how we learn.

Marketing

Autonomy

Dec 2022

Compensation is above market value, stock options are amazing (the company is growing so fast and stock options are becoming more and more valuable), we always get a generous Christmas bonus, and when you get 1 additional month off and 10k$ cash when you are with Synthesia for 4 years. Amazing.

Marketing

Fair compensation

Dec 2022

At Synthesia, I am trusted to manage projects and make decisions independently. Knowledge is shared within the team to support independent project work, however, management understand that being able to make independent decisions improves efficiency and results.

Finance, Legal & Compliance

Autonomy

Jun 2022

Working at Synthesia feels like you are living in a sci-fi movie. The technology is definitely game-changing and there is a real feeling that the products we are working on are going to change the way humans present information.

Finance, Legal & Compliance

Innovative product

Jun 2022

The energy within the firm is exceptional. Every week there is some sort of exciting announcement to celebrate. The belief in the product is like no-where I have ever worked before and provides huge inspiration to the employees.

Finance, Legal & Compliance

Team energy

Jun 2022

My role as Content Moderator at Synthesia places high value on subjectivity. When we are moderating script excerpts that get submitted by users of our product, although there are policy guidelines that must be abided by, we have autonomy of opinion and discussion amongst our team. If one of our opinions didn't match the ultimate decision made on the particular script, they wouldn't be initially dismissed by the team, rather valued for having been included in the discussion, so as to clarify why that didn't impact the ultimate decision made. Our superiors value the engagement and interest in our work, therefore the more passion we demonstrate towards it, the more autonomy we'll have.

Product

My opinions are valued

Jun 2022

Our hierarchical superiors are only above us by role title; as people they establish human equality. We're all following the same mission, each one of us is turning a certain cog of the machine in a certain way, and everyone is appreciated for their efforts. I have personally bonded well with my line manager, the VPs, Directors, CTO, COO, CFO and CEO, regardless of age, status and stage of life. Management have also most recently assembled a channel for celebrating minor and major achievements, which is arguably the most supportive a team can be by allowing a space to celebrate.

Product

Supportive management

Jun 2022

I believe this applies to any role at Synthesia; whether you focus mainly on your specialised field, or you interact with colleagues with other responsibilities, there's never any dismissal of curiosity or indulging in new knowledge. We are provided the time to either learn from our peers, to learn skills to have roles like our peers, or to learn skills that can take us in many other directions creatively. As part of the creative team, I am especially given that flexibility to use my paintbrush to create whatever I wish, whilst also gaining other skills that play to my strengths.

Product

Opportunities to learn

Jun 2022

There is room for every person to grow, as long as you are putting in the work and showing up it can happen in a matter of time. Set goals, encourage tough talks, be transactional, and of course track your progress.

Sales & Account Management

Career progression

Jun 2022

The management has clear goals, and ways of accomplishing them. When something is unclear, there is a village of people willing to help. When you come to the office it feels good because of the positivity that is shown.

Sales & Account Management

Supportive management

Jun 2022

Synthesia AI Software is innovative and extremely useful for personal or corporate use. It is a game-changing product that will open doors and stand out.

Sales & Account Management

Innovative product

Jun 2022

A bunch of young people making it work. The company is scaling but also the product is something people have not seen before, so a lot of out-of-the-box thinking is going on.

People, HR, Recruitment

Challenging work

Jun 2022

A very intelligent team, high-performers. A lot of people with PhDs and just in general motivated, talented people, that believe in the product and want to make it work.

People, HR, Recruitment

Intelligent people

Jun 2022

When joining there was a lot of questions about my own opinions and view of the things, the first fresh feedback is very welcomed and also I do have this experience that people do value your opinion and take it into account. Founders included.

People, HR, Recruitment

My opinions are valued

Jun 2022

Since I joined Synthesia about 15 months ago, I've had the opportunity to learn so much about digital video, AI, and real-time collaboration algorithms. Synthesia really gives us the space to self-develop as it helps keep us on the cutting edge! I feel like I've grown significantly as an engineer while being here.

Software Engineering

Opportunities to learn

Jun 2022

Everyone I've met at Synthesia is incredibly kind, and humble about the amazing work they do. The people here will also go out of their way to help you when you're looking to understand something new.

Software Engineering

Nice people

Jun 2022

I've never been micro-managed during my time at Synthesia. The management trusts employees to make decisions that make most sense for the success of the company. Our long-term roadmap meetings are an open forum, and the end-result is that everyone feels like a true owner of the work they do.

Software Engineering

Autonomy

Jun 2022

Everyone is really dedicated to make Synthesia a better user experience every single day. Product team is super skilled and ships on a daily basis, Support and CS teams work tirelessly to help customers, etc.

Marketing

Hard working team

Jun 2022

The tech is way ahead of any competitors and the stuff we have in the pipeline is mind blowing. It feels like we're just scratching the surface of what's possible with our technology.

Marketing

Innovative product

Jun 2022

Synthesia pays very good salaries and stock options. Above market. Awesome contributors progress very fast both as ICs or managers. Never heard anyone complaining about pay here.

Marketing

Fair compensation

Jun 2022

What is great about Synthesia is that employees are seen as experts in their own field, and therefore given autonomy to do their tasks without much interference from the management. You sync on the general direction and focus of your work, but how exactly you do it is up to you.

Marketing

Autonomy

Jun 2022

Working hours aren't rigid - you can work earlier or later than the general working hours if that suits your working style better. You also have the ability to pop out and run errands or go to the doctor during the day if you need to - the management is very understanding when it comes to that.

Marketing

Flexible working

Jun 2022

The company focuses on hiring competent and experienced people, and everyone is compensated fairly. I was offered more than I even thought about asking for. Most job posts clearly state the salary range, which is unusual for a lot of job posts these days.

Marketing

Fair compensation

Jun 2022

After over a year at Synthesia, I can confidently say that I am surrounded by intelligent, caring, and trustworthy people that genuinely enjoy what they do. The flat hierarchy is not just a statement, it's actually how the company is structured. Everyone is trusted and encouraged to take ownership while receiving constructive feedback along the way.

Marketing

Opportunities to learn

Jun 2022

I am surrounded by extremely intelligent, kind, and fun people. As a result, I feel that I am a better professional and a better colleague. I have access to all the support and resources to be successful in my job. And yeah, people are also super fun.

Marketing

Intelligent people

Jun 2022

Humans first, that's one of the core principles at Synthesia. The CEO and leadership team are hands-on working with everyone, not only providing direction but also seeking feedback from the team and working together. No BS and politics. Everyone is working towards the same goal.

Marketing

Flat hierarchy

Jun 2022

Everyone is super intelligent (not just academic/tech wise) but emotionally and it provides a positive work culture. All employees are open to supporting one another from all different departments and there is a sense of team support across the board for all goals! I love that I am able to go to the CEO for support on a project I'm working on or ask someone from the Creative Team to help me with design. Everyone is available to help :)

People, HR, Recruitment

Intelligent people

Jun 2022

Autonomy at Synthesia is great, everyone knows what they are required to do to help the business and their own goals for their teams. It provides a great style of working and there is no such thing as micro management. Everyone is treated as an adult and it really pushes you as an individual to work harder and do your best.

People, HR, Recruitment

Autonomy

Jun 2022

My manager has an open door and is always available for any open and honest conversation that would benefit the company. Synthesia is also transparent with all information and nothing is private (which works well with the trust of all employees) Our All hands meeting which is conducted every two weeks is very open and informative which allows us to see the direction we are headed as a company. This helps with our OKR's and overall the direction our teams/the overall company is working towards.

People, HR, Recruitment

Open and honest communication

Jun 2022

Not only intelligent, but everyone is also very nice! The people around are the best part of the job! Even now that the company is quite large, everyone is very focused and cares about the company, and there is virtually no drama going on.

Other Engineering

Intelligent people

Jun 2022

I guess this one is pretty self-explanatory. We have a very flat hierarchy with little formalities and it's easy to get your voice heard - and people do listen. After all, everybody is on the same crew and with the same goal.

Other Engineering

My opinions are valued

Jun 2022

People don't hesitate to praise where praise is due, and I've heard that myself more than I'd expect, even when doing "not glamorous but necessary" jobs, people do get recognition for a job well done.

Other Engineering

Great work is recognised

Jun 2022

The huge success we've seen at Synthesia so far is mostly down to the fact everybody is so nice to work with. Tonnes of collaboration and ideas sharing, organically organised meet ups outside of work and regular team lunches make this a great place to work!

People, HR, Recruitment

Nice people

Jun 2022

The product is INCREDIBLE! Seriously, even if we disregard the financial success we've had, the customer and investor sentiment alone is enough to prove that we are pioneering a brand new medium of communication and leading the pack while doing it.

People, HR, Recruitment

Innovative product

Jun 2022

Anonymous employee surveys that actually resulted in making this an even better place to work. I've done tonnes of surveys like this before at previous companies and rarely saw any meaningful change from it, but at Synthesia I'm already seeing improvements made to help us bring the best version of ourselves to work!

People, HR, Recruitment

Supportive management

Jun 2022

Jobs (29)

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Software Engineering

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