Synthesia, the London-based AI video platform that's quietly become enterprise training's secret weapon, just raised a $200 million Series E that nearly doubles its valuation to $4 billion - up from $2.1 billion a year ago. But here's the twist: the company's also running a structured employee secondary sale through Nasdaq, letting early team members cash out at the same $4 billion valuation. It's a rare move for a British startup that signals both confidence in staying private longer and a growing trend in how unicorns reward their teams before an IPO.
Synthesia just became the poster child for what happens when an AI startup actually figures out how to make money. The British company's $200 million Series E, led by existing investor GV (Google Ventures), pushed its valuation to $4 billion - a clean double from the $2.1 billion it commanded just 12 months ago. While other AI darlings burn through cash chasing the next breakthrough, Synthesia crossed $100 million in annual recurring revenue back in April 2025, according to the company's announcement.
The numbers tell the story of a startup that found its lane and stayed in it. Enterprise clients including Bosch, Merck, and SAP are paying real money to use Synthesia's AI-generated avatars for corporate training videos. It turns out companies will shell out serious cash to avoid the nightmare of keeping training materials updated as products and policies shift. The platform lets them create and update videos with synthetic presenters faster than traditional production crews can schedule a single shoot.
Synthesia's venture backers are betting the momentum continues. The Series E brought back nearly everyone from previous rounds - Kleiner Perkins from Series B, Accel from Series C, New Enterprise Associates from Series D, plus , Air Street Capital, and PSP Growth. Two new names joined the cap table: and the secretive firm Hedosophia, known for backing winners early.
