Victor Riparbelli, CEO and co-founder of Synthesia, delves into the evolving landscape of AI and content creation. He discusses scaling laws and the rivalry between AI giants like OpenAI and Anthropic, speculating on whether we'll see a few general models or many specialized ones. Riparbelli also envisions the future of video as a primary communication tool, with TikTok leading the way. Moreover, he challenges startup myths, arguing that speed and first-mover advantage are overrated in favor of strategic execution and innovation, especially in London's vibrant tech ecosystem.

Victor Riparbelli, CEO of Synthesia, leads the charge in revolutionizing communication with AI avatars. He discusses how these lifelike digital doppelgängers enhance engagement for businesses and the complex implications for identity and media literacy. The conversation pivots to how avatars create new opportunities in corporate training and personalized marketing, while exploring ethical concerns and the future of human interaction. Tune in to learn how AI avatars might soon become your stand-ins in those tedious meetings!

In this first episode of Generative Now, Victor Riparbelli, Co-Founder and CEO of Synthesia, joins Host and Partner at Lightspeed, Michael Mignano. The two discuss democratizing video production, the role of regulation in AI’s future, and what it takes to make it through three years in the wilderness. Episode Chapters (00:00) - Welcome to Generative Now (05:28) - Learning startup strategy from World of Warcraft (15:09) - Is your product a utility or a novelty? (16:09) - Synthesia's cofounder on Jimmy Kimmel (21:43) - Replacing physical video production (26:05) - Finding product market fit (28:30) - 1,000x easier and cheaper (30:21) - Three years in the wilderness (33:42) - ChatGPT’s ripples on Synthesia (39:52) - The life cycle of a hype cycle (44:00) - Is the camera dead? (52:58) - AI safety: building on an ethical framework (1:02:24) - AI-native formats (1:07:44) - How Synthesia landed Mark Cuban as an investor Stay in touch: www.lsvp.com X: https://twitter.com/lightspeedvp LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/ Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.co Email: generativenow@lsvp.com The content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.

Crowdbotics. Great ideas can change the world, and Crowdbotics is the fastest way to turn those ideas into code. Get a free scoping session for your next big app idea at crowdbotics.com/twist Coda. A new doc that brings words, tables and teams together. All your valuable data, plans, objectives, and strategies in one place. Go to https://coda.io/twist to get a $1,000 credit! LinkedIn Marketing. To redeem a $100 LinkedIn ad credit and launch your first campaign, go to linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups * Today’s show: Synthesia CEO Victor Riparbelli joins Jason to discuss how his startup uses AI to generate realistic video avatars (10:16) before demoing the product. Then, the two discuss job disruption (31:43), preventing deepfake misuse (45:18), and much more! * Time stamps: (0:00) Synthesia CEO Victor Riparbelli joins Jason (3:47) Achieving unicorn status after Nvidia-backed fundraise (12:25) Crowdbotics - Get a free scoping session for your next big app idea at crowdbotics.com/twist (13:54) Determining pricing for the product (17:19) Victor demos Synthesia and its AI features (24:38) Coda - Get a $1,000 startup credit at https://coda.io/twist (31:43) Job Disruption: How AI will impact hiring and business functions (39:38) LinkedIn Marketing - Get a $100 LinkedIn ad credit at https://linkedin.com/thisweekinstartups (41:06) AI and dual fate technology (45:18) Preventing DeepFake misuse (52:40) OpenAI hit with a lawsuit * Check Out Synthesia: https://www.synthesia.io/ Follow Victor: https://twitter.com/vriparbelli * Read LAUNCH Fund 4 Deal Memo: https://www.launch.co/four Apply for Funding: https://www.launch.co/apply Buy ANGEL: https://www.angelthebook.com Great recent interviews: Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland, PrayingForExits, Jenny Lefcourt Check out Jason’s suite of newsletters: https://substack.com/@calacanis * Follow Jason: Twitter: https://twitter.com/jason Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jason LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasoncalacanis * Follow TWiST: Substack: https://twistartups.substack.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/TWiStartups YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thisweekin * Subscribe to the Founder University Podcast: https://www.founder.university/podcast

Guests Connor Zwick, Max Child, Gaurav Misra, Hilary Mason, and Victor Riparbelli discuss sneaking into early AI courses, being first on a new platform, changing business plans after unexpected success, nuanced definitions in AI, and the new paradigm AI can bring.