Captions – a leading AI-powered creative studio – recently announced that they had raised $25 million in Series B funding led by Kleiner Perkins. And other esteemed investors, including Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and SV Angel, also participated, bringing the total capital raised to $40 million.
With positive cash flow and impressive growth, Captions solidified its position as a disruptor in video editing, officially launching its flagship product after a successful debut on the Apple App Store in January 2021. And the Series B funding marks a significant milestone for Captions, enabling the company to further level the playing field for creators by offering anyone, anywhere, the opportunity to develop and publish studio-grade content with the power of AI.
The Series B funding round builds upon earlier investments, including a seed round and a Series A round co-led by Sequoia Capital and Andreessen Horowitz. And renowned investors like Uncommon Projects, Kevin Systrom, Mike Krieger, Lenny Rachitsky, Julie Zhuo, Antoine Martin, Nico Wittenborn, Jacob Andreou, Ben Rubin, Jaren Glover, Chapter One, 20VC, Ludlow Ventures, among others, also participated in these earlier funding efforts.
Since its founding in 2021, Captions has experienced exceptional growth, mobilizing over 3 million creators to produce studio-quality videos from their mobile devices quickly. And within the first six months of its debut, Captions witnessed a notable achievement with over 100,000 active daily users and more than one million videos created on the platform each month. And this accomplishment highlights Captions’ success in upending the content creation and distribution landscape, significantly impacting the creator economy. Plus, it further cements their position as innovators in next-generation storytelling.
Captions introduced a new concept of a one-stop AI-powered creative studio dedicated to enhancing “talking videos”. And as a trusted creative partner and super-assistant, Captions simplifies and automates various aspects of video production, including captioning, editing, dubbing, script creation, and music integration. Plus, this streamlines the video creation process, making it quick and easy for creators of all skill levels to bring their vision to life with just a few quick taps.
Captions offer a range of sophisticated features designed to ease and enhance the process of developing premium video content. Some of the prominent features include:
— Al Dubbing: Seamlessly dubs the speaker’s voice into another language, empowering creators to overcome language barriers and reach new audiences.
— AI Shorts: Automatically extracts viral-worthy clips from any long-form video, allowing creators to easily promote long-form content and maximize the value of existing material.
— Al Voiceover: Generates a voiceover indistinguishable from human voice based on text alone, enabling creators to narrate their videos effortlessly without recording themselves.
— AI Zoom: Automatically incorporates relevant zooms to keep the video captivating and engaging.
— AI Eye Contact: Corrects the subject’s eye contact to give the impression of looking directly at the camera, fostering a more engaging connection with viewers.
— AI Music: Automatically composes unique and royalty-free music tailored to each video, elevating the overall production value.
— AI Images and Emojis: Automatically insert relevant images and emojis into videos, enhancing visual storytelling and audience engagement.
KEY QUOTES:
“Our vision for Captions goes well beyond just video creation. It’s about empowering individuals, regardless of background or experience, by providing them with tools to effectively communicate their ideas or stories. Video content is undergoing a remarkable transformation, with a major trend towards ‘talking videos’—where creators address the camera directly to share opinions or personal stories. To support this evolution, we have developed user-friendly features that enhance ‘talking videos’ and make creating high-quality content more accessible.”
— Gaurav Misra, co-founder and CEO of Captions
“AI is redefining how digital products are created, and Captions has emerged as the leading AI-powered platform for video content. Millions of users have already leveraged it to tell their stories and engage audiences. Gaurav and the Captions team have deep empathy for and understanding of creators from their time at Snap that we believe is critical in building within this new era of AI-enabled product development. We’re thrilled to lead Captions’ Series B and support the creation of the AI-powered creative studio.”
— Everett Randle, partner of Kleiner Perkins
“We were immediately drawn to Gaurav’s discerning eye for design and proven experience building world-class products at companies like Snap and Microsoft. Captions’ use of AI for video production has the potential to revolutionize the studio experience for today’s creator economy. The user enthusiasm and loyalty Captions has experienced this early on is a clear indication of their future success. We are excited to partner with Gaurav and team and cheer them on in the next phase of their business.”
— Mike Vernal of Sequoia Capital
“When we first met with Gaurav and Dwight over two years ago, we were excited by their mission to democratize video creation at scale—first with tools for ‘talking videos’ which make up a large percentage of short form video consumption, and more recently through a growing suite of public and forthcoming products that combine cutting edge AI technologies and strong consumer design sensibilities.”
— Bryan Kim, investment partner of Andreessen Horowitz
