Amazon leads $20M investment in synthetic celebrity startup Superplastic
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Amazon led a $20 million investment in entertainment firm Superplastic, which makes synthetic celebrities such as Janky and Guggimon.
On top of that, the companies announced a multifaceted collaboration where Amazon Studios gets a first look at licensing content created by Superplastic. The two companies have signed a first-look deal to facilitate the creation of additional series and films starring other characters in the Superplastic universe.
“We’re not a product company. We’re not a gaming company. We’re not a tech company. We’re an IP company with entertainment,” said Paul Budnitz, CEO of Superplastic, in an interview with GamesBeat. “We’re working with them on a whole bunch of other stuff in the background.”
The Alexa Fund, Amazon’s venture capital arm that focuses on new media, smart consumer electronics, ambient intelligence, and other areas of digital technology, led Superplastic’s $20 million Series A extension investment round.
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“It’s part of an overall evolution of our fund — the migration away from just being focused on voice to more on other consumer technology areas,” said Paul Bernard at Amazon, in an interview with GamesBeat. “The germane topic here is new media, which we took on seriously about 18 months ago.”
Other investors include Craft Ventures, Google Ventures, Galaxy Digital, Kering, Sony Japan, Scribble Ventures, Kakao, Animoca Brands, Day One Ventures, and Betaworks.
This latest round brings Superplastic’s
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