What Pinscreen does

Pinscreen is a generative AI company that builds visual-effects and avatar technology for film, television, and interactive media. Founded in 2015 by Hao Li (MIT TR35 awardee and Professor of Computer Vision at MBZUAI), the company operates from Los Angeles with an Abu Dhabi branch opened in 2024. Its core technology stack comprises neural rendering for photoreal facial animation, face reenactment, AI-driven lip sync, face swap, de-aging, and voice cloning, all delivered at 4K UHD HDR resolution, plus a photoreal 3D avatar generator branded Avatar Neo. The firm claims category-first status for real-time deepfake technology and for visually dubbing entire feature films in 4K.

The business operates two monetization streams. The primary stream is enterprise AI VFX services sold via direct field sales to film studios, streaming platforms, and production houses (named customers include Netflix, Amazon Studios, Miramax, Warner Bros, Apple, Google, Adobe, and DARPA) on quote-based, multi-year project contracts. A secondary stream packages the underlying avatar technology as Avatar Neo, distributed both as a one-time-license consumer Creator App for Mac/Windows and as a licensing/royalty SDK for Unreal Engine and Unity developers. The company is privately held and backed by Lux Capital, SBVA (SoftBank), Colopl Next, Activat VC, Cerence, and Middle East investors; it has 7 patents and over 50 peer-reviewed publications underpinning the technology.

Distribution leans heavily on direct enterprise engagement with VFX supervisors and creative directors, supplemented by a self-serve developer channel for the SDK and app. R&D and talent acquisition are anchored in the founder's MBZUAI professorship and academic collaborations with UC Berkeley, ETH Zurich, and USC, while NVIDIA Inception and Epic MegaGrants provide infrastructure and ecosystem access.

Name

Pinscreen

Legal name

Pinscreen

Website

https://pinscreen.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pinscreen builds generative AI technology for film and TV visual effects — including visual dubbing, face reenactment, face swaps, de-aging, and avatar digitization — sold to major studios and distributed via an Avatar Neo consumer app and developer SDK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Generative AI Visual Effects

NAICS

Postproduction Services and Other Motion Picture and Video Industries (51219)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

VFX Production & Shot Work (CG Integration, Matte Painting, FX) (MPAHABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Virtual Production & LED Volume Services (Stage Ops, ICVFX, Real-Time Camera/Tracking) (MPADAHAB), XR/AR/VR/MR Development Frameworks & Toolchains (MPAFAFAF), AI Application Enablement Platforms (Copilot/Agent Frameworks, SDKs) (HDAEANAJ)

Keywords

• AI visual effects
• Generative AI VFX
• Face reenactment technology
• Avatar digitization
• AI lip sync

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. AI VFX Services: End-to-end solutions for AI lip sync, face reenactment, face swaps, de-aging, and avatar digitization for film and TV production. Services are billed per project/shot with enterprise pricing.
2. Avatar Neo Creator App: Consumer-facing desktop application for Mac and Windows that generates high-fidelity 3D avatars from single photos. Available as downloadable software.
3. Avatar Neo SDK: Developer SDK for Unreal and Unity platforms, allowing developers to incorporate 3D avatar generation into games, apps, and AR/VR experiences. Sold as commercial license to developers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Pinscreen develops and delivers generative AI technology for visual effects in film and television, providing AI VFX services such as face reenactment, AI lip sync, face swap, de-aging, voice cloning, and avatar digitization - all produced in 4K UHD HDR. The company also sells the Avatar Neo product line, including a Creator App for desktop avatar generation and a Developer SDK for Unreal Engine and Unity integration. Its technology powers post-production workflows for major studios and enables real-time interactive avatar experiences for games and AR/VR.

Product overview

Pinscreen offers a comprehensive portfolio of generative AI products for visual effects and digital avatar creation. The core offering is Pinscreen AI VFX Services, providing film production companies with AI lip sync, face reenactment, face swaps, de-aging, voice cloning, and avatar digitization—all delivered in 4K UHD HDR. Complementing the VFX services is Avatar Neo, which includes a Creator App for desktop avatar generation and a Developer SDK for integration with Unreal Engine and Unity game engines. The products share foundational generative AI and computer vision technology, with the VFX services targeting film/TV production studios while Avatar Neo addresses consumer and developer markets for 3D avatar creation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Avatar Neo: A product for generating high-fidelity 3D avatars from a single photo, available as a Creator app for Mac and Windows, and as a Developer SDK for Unreal and Unity integration.

Products and services

• Pinscreen AI VFX Services End-to-end generative AI visual effects services for film and TV production, including AI lip sync, face reenactment, face swaps, de-aging, and avatar digitization, all produced in 4K UHD HDR resolution. Targets major film studios, streaming platforms, and production companies requiring scalable, cost-efficient post-production VFX.
• Avatar Neo Creator App Desktop application for Mac and Windows that generates high-fidelity 3D avatars from a single photo. Users can upload a photo or use webcam, customize body shape, and export 3D models in GLB and FBX formats including animation rigs. Targeted at individual creators and personal users.
• Avatar Neo Developer SDK Software development kit enabling developers to integrate high-fidelity 3D avatar generation from photos into 3D apps, games, and AR/VR experiences. Available as plugins for Unreal Engine and Unity platforms. Sold as a commercial license to game and AR/VR developers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 1000 VFX shots per month
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability6 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NVIDIA Inception ProgramcoreTechnology or IntegrationMember of NVIDIA's startup accelerator program for AI and deep learning companies, providing access to NVIDIA's technology stack, GPUs, and ecosystem resources for developing generative AI VFX solutions.
• Epic GamescoreTechnology or IntegrationEpic MegaGrants winner and active integration partner. Avatar Neo SDK is available for Unreal Engine, enabling game developers to incorporate Pinscreen's avatar generation technology.
• Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounder Hao Li serves as Professor of Computer Vision at MBZUAI and Director of its Metaverse Center. Active research collaboration and talent recruitment from the university.
• DARPAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive participation in government-funded research programs, contributing to advancing AI research with defense applications.
• UC BerkeleyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partnerships with UC Berkeley for joint research projects in computer vision and machine learning.
• ETH ZurichminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partnerships with ETH Zurich for joint research projects in computer vision and machine learning.
• University of Southern California (USC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partnerships with USC for joint research projects in computer graphics and vision.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Weta FX: Weta FX is a premier traditional VFX studio known for Avatar, Lord of the Rings, and Planet of the Apes. While not AI-native, it represents the incumbent VFX establishment that Pinscreen disrupts with cost and speed advantages.
• Industrial Light & Magic (ILM): ILM is Lucasfilm's legendary VFX studio serving major Hollywood productions. A broad incumbent in film VFX that Pinscreen competes against on cost-per-shot, especially for facial performance and de-aging work.
• NVIDIA (Omniverse / Maxine): NVIDIA provides AI video and avatar SDKs (Maxine, Audio2Face, Omniverse Avatar Cloud Engine) that enable real-time facial animation and digital humans. As both a Pinscreen partner (Inception Program) and a potential platform competitor, NVIDIA represents the most consequential broad incumbent.

Emerging players

• Colossyan: Colossyan offers AI avatar video creation with multilingual lip sync for corporate learning and marketing. Comparable to Pinscreen's avatar generation and dubbing technology but targeting B2B learning content rather than film.
• Hour One: Hour One generates AI-powered video avatars from text, with similar photoreal avatar capabilities to Pinscreen's Avatar Neo. Focused on enterprise/corporate communications rather than Hollywood production.

Direct peers

• Metaphysic: Metaphysic develops hyperreal AI-generated faces and de-aging technology for Hollywood, with notable work on ABBA Voyage and Tom Cruise deepfakes. Direct competitor in AI-driven facial performance and de-aging for film.
• Synthesia: Synthesia offers AI-generated avatar videos with multilingual lip sync for enterprise communications and content. Comparable to Pinscreen's Avatar Neo and visual dubbing capabilities, though focused on corporate/training content rather than feature films.
• HeyGen: HeyGen provides AI avatar creation and video translation with multilingual lip sync, similar to Pinscreen's visual dubbing and avatar digitization features. Targets creators and enterprises for personalized video content.
• D-ID: D-ID specializes in AI-powered talking avatar generation from still images, with face animation and lip sync capabilities that directly overlap with Pinscreen's Avatar Neo and face reenactment technology.
• Runway: Runway is a generative AI video platform offering text-to-video, video editing, and VFX-style capabilities for creators and studios. Directly competes with Pinscreen in AI-powered video generation and visual effects for film production.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/pinscreeninc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors8 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pinscreen