Synthesia CEO Victor Riparbelli on Building a $4B AI Video Platform and Europe's AI Future

London-based Synthesia, the AI video generation platform that creates synthetic presenters from text input, has reached a $4 billion valuation as enterprises increasingly adopt AI-powered content creation tools. In a comprehensive interview with Melissa Heikkilä at the Financial Times, founder and CEO Victor Riparbelli discusses the company's growth trajectory, the enterprise AI video market, and Europe's position in the global AI race.

From Research Project to Enterprise Platform

Riparbelli founded Synthesia in 2017 with the vision of making video content creation as simple as writing text. The company started as a research project at University College London and has since evolved into a platform used by over 1,000 enterprise customers, including half of the Fortune 100.

"We started with the idea that video is the most engaging medium, but it's also the most expensive and time-consuming to produce," Riparbelli explains. "Our goal was to make it as easy as writing an email."

The platform allows users to create videos with AI avatars that can speak in multiple languages, making it particularly valuable for corporate training, internal communications, and marketing content. Unlike consumer-facing deepfake tools, Synthesia positions itself as an enterprise solution with strict content moderation and consent protocols.

Enterprise Adoption and Market Position

Synthesia's growth reflects broader enterprise adoption of AI video tools. The company reports that customers are using the platform to create everything from HR onboarding videos to product demonstrations, with some clients generating thousands of videos per month.

"What we're seeing is that companies are moving from creating a few high-quality videos per year to creating hundreds or thousands of personalized videos," Riparbelli says. "It's not about replacing human creativity, but about scaling what's already working."

The enterprise focus has helped Synthesia avoid some of the regulatory and ethical concerns that have plagued consumer deepfake technologies. The company requires explicit consent from individuals whose likenesses are used and maintains strict controls over content generation.

AI Regulation and Content Authenticity

As AI-generated content becomes more sophisticated, questions about authenticity and regulation are growing. Riparbelli acknowledges these challenges but argues that enterprise use cases are fundamentally different from consumer applications.

"We're not in the business of creating deepfakes or misleading content," he emphasizes. "Our customers are using this for legitimate business purposes where transparency is important."

However, he recognizes that the broader AI ecosystem needs clearer guidelines. "There needs to be a framework for how AI-generated content is labeled and used, especially as the technology becomes more accessible."

Europe's AI Competitiveness Challenge

One of the most striking aspects of the interview is Riparbelli's assessment of Europe's position in the global AI race. Despite being headquartered in London, Synthesia faces the same challenges as other European AI startups competing against US tech giants.

"Europe has incredible talent and research capabilities, but we're not seeing that translate into market-leading companies," Riparbelli observes. "The US has a combination of capital, talent, and market access that's very difficult to replicate."

He points to several structural issues: "European venture capital is still much smaller than in the US, and there's less of a culture of scaling companies aggressively. Plus, the regulatory environment, while important for safety, can sometimes slow down innovation."

The Path Forward for European AI

Despite these challenges, Riparbelli remains optimistic about Europe's potential. He suggests several strategies for improving Europe's competitiveness:

Focus on vertical applications: "Europe should focus on areas where we have domain expertise, like industrial AI, healthcare, and manufacturing."

Build stronger research-to-market pipelines: "We need better mechanisms to turn academic research into commercial products."

Create more supportive ecosystems: "This means not just capital, but also mentorship, talent networks, and customer access."

Embrace regulatory leadership: "Europe can lead in developing responsible AI frameworks that become global standards."

The Future of AI Video

Looking ahead, Riparbelli sees AI video becoming increasingly integrated into everyday business workflows. "In five years, I think creating a video will be as natural as writing a document or sending an email," he predicts.

The technology is also evolving beyond simple avatar videos. Synthesia is working on more realistic animations, better voice synthesis, and integration with other content creation tools.

"The goal isn't to replace human creativity, but to augment it," Riparbelli emphasizes. "We want to give people the ability to communicate more effectively through video, regardless of their technical skills or budget."

Key Takeaways

• Enterprise focus: Synthesia's success demonstrates the growing enterprise market for AI video tools, particularly for corporate communications and training.
• Regulatory navigation: The company's enterprise positioning has helped it avoid many of the controversies surrounding consumer deepfake technologies.
• European challenges: Despite strong research capabilities, European AI startups face significant hurdles in competing with US companies.
• Future vision: AI video is moving from a novelty to an essential business tool, with applications across marketing, training, and internal communications.

As AI video technology continues to mature, companies like Synthesia are helping define how enterprises can responsibly adopt these tools while navigating complex regulatory and ethical landscapes. The challenge for Europe will be translating its research excellence into commercial success in an increasingly competitive global market.