Participated · Series A · Feb 2023

Superplastic creates and develops 'synthetic' influencer characters such as Janky, Guggimon and Dayzee that operate as social-media celebrities with millions of followers on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. The company combines a creative studio of humans who design characters with a built-from-the-ground-up technology platform to rapidly produce videos and interactive experiences where its characters interact with brands, other influencers and audiences. Superplastic licenses and partners its IP across brands, music acts, games and other social networks, and it pursues product and retail integrations. It is hosted on AWS and plans to deepen technology capabilities with strategic partners. The company is led by founder and CEO Paul Budnitz, who previously founded Kidrobot and was involved with the social effort Ello. Financially, Superplastic has raised $58 million to date, including the newly announced $20 million round led by Amazon’s Alexa Fund. Superplastic builds 3D-animated virtual characters (notably Janky & Guggimon) and monetizes them via NFT drops, collectible toys, social media, gaming integrations, and retail. The company has sold over $7 million in NFTs in 2021 and has amassed more than 8 million followers across social platforms. Its offerings span authenticated NFT art, interactive virtual ecosystems, animated films, and real-world retail experiences and collaborations (including Fortnite and fashion brands). Future plans in the articles include an animated hip hop group, two movies (one funded), production on an animated feature film, retail store launches in Miami and NYC in early 2022, and expansion into the Asian market. Superplastic says it will use new capital to expand its virtual ecosystem, develop token initiatives (e.g., Jankykoin), hire staff, and accelerate product and content production. The company positions its characters as both fictional animated figures and interactive virtual beings that engage fans across media and commerce. Superplastic is a Burlington, Vt.-based cult designer toy brand and character-based product and animated entertainment company founded in 2018 by CEO Paul Budnitz and art director Huck Gee. The company creates character-driven products and has launched an animated entertainment division to bring its popular characters to life. It debuted two synthetic celebrities, Janky and Guggimon, on Instagram; the characters earn fees like real-life influencers. Superplastic is in talks with global fashion brands about partnerships to commercialize those characters. The company is collaborating with artists on a Janky art show in NYC in late 2019, and Guggimon is slated to participate in the Montreal Mural Festival in 2020. Financially, Superplastic raised $10M in a Series A round to support its product and entertainment efforts.

Participated · Equity · Feb 2018

Skelter Labs, founded in 2015 by CEO Ted Cho (formerly engineering site director at Google Korea), builds core AI technologies with a focus on conversational AI, deep learning (speech and image recognition) and context recognition. The company began as a startup studio and earlier produced products such as a flight booking app, chatbot framework and point-of-sale software, but now concentrates on developing its AI platform in partnership with third parties and enterprises. Skelter Labs works with a range of Korean businesses to integrate its machine learning capabilities and keeps specific customer relationships confidential. The firm says its wider vision is to deliver intelligent virtual assistant technology for smart speakers, smartphones, home appliances, automobiles and wearable devices. Following the recent financing, the company plans to expand its services overseas. It has more than 50 staff at its Seoul office with experience from Google, Samsung, LG and KAIST’s AI division.