Genies
Genies is an AI avatar technology company that builds interactive digital characters with persistent cross-platform identity for sports leagues, entertainment brands, music labels, and game developers. Its four-pillar platform combines LLM-driven personalities, behavioral animation, and interoperability, distributed via Unity SDKs and consumer chat products.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Genies does
Genies, Inc. is a Los Angeles-based AI avatar technology company founded in 2017 that builds interactive digital characters combining LLM-driven personalities, real-time behavioral animation, and cross-platform persistent identity. Its four-pillar architecture — Looks (visual identity), Brain (personality/LLM), Behavior (animation/expressions), and Play (interoperability) — underpins a product portfolio spanning consumer-facing Genies Chat (beta) and Genies Studio (waitlist), a developer SDK family (Avatar SDK, Art Forge SDK, Intelligence SDK, Party SDK) distributed through the Unity Asset Store, and The Warehouse NFT marketplace for digital fashion. The platform leverages OpenAI, ElevenLabs, and Google as foundational model providers and ships multimodal AI capabilities spanning natural language, speech, computer vision, generative animation, and persistent character memory.
The company monetizes through a hybrid enterprise licensing model with group rights deals covering all MLB players (MLB Players Inc.), NBA players (NBPA), and NFL players (NFLPA), as well as official avatar partnerships with Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group. Entertainment IP licensing extends to WEBTOON webcomics, Sanrio characters (Hello Kitty, Gudetama), and King Records franchises (HYPNOSISMIC). Secondary revenue streams include marketplace commissions from digital fashion NFT sales, developer SDK distribution (free tier plus future premium features), and consumer subscription potential for AI companion experiences.
Genies achieved unicorn status in April 2022 following a $150 million Series C led by Silver Lake at a $1 billion post-money valuation, with former Disney CEO Bob Iger having joined the board in March 2022. Co-founders Akash Nigam (CEO) and Jake Adams (COO) continue to lead the company, which has raised roughly $200 million to date. The go-to-market motion is multi-channel: direct enterprise licensing deals for sports and entertainment IP, product-led consumer tools, and SDK distribution to game developers, with a strategic emphasis in 2025–2026 on scaling the Unity developer ecosystem and expanding the celebrity AI identity vertical.
Genies firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Genies
- Legal name
- Genies, Inc.
- Website
- https://genies.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Genies is an AI avatar technology company that builds interactive digital characters with persistent cross-platform identity for sports leagues, entertainment brands, music labels, and game developers. Its four-pillar platform combines LLM-driven personalities, behavioral animation, and interoperability, distributed via Unity SDKs and consumer chat products.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Genies industry classification
Industry- Product category
- AI Avatar Technology Platform
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Agents & Autonomous Workflows (Tool Use, Planning, Multi-Agent) (HDAAACAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- XR/AR/VR/MR Development Frameworks & Toolchains (MPAFAFAF), Metaverse & Social Virtual Worlds (BPAMAKAF)
Keywords
Where Genies is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Genies business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Sports League Licensing: Group licensing deals with sports players associations (MLB Players Inc., NBPA) to create interactive AI avatars of professional athletes for fan engagement. Revenue generated from chat interactions, in-app experiences, and digital goods.
- Music Industry Licensing: Official avatar and digital goods NFT provider partnerships with major music groups (Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group).
- Digital Fashion NFT Marketplace: The Warehouse marketplace enabling creators to customize and sell avatar fashion items as NFTs, with platform taking transaction fees.
- Developer SDK Licensing: Avatar SDK and related tools distributed through Unity Asset Store for game developers. Integration tools for enterprise customers.
- Entertainment IP Partnerships: Deals with entertainment brands (WEBTOON, Sanrio, King Records) to transform IP characters into AI companions and interactive experiences.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free tier with basic features |
| Subscription | Monthly | Premium subscription tier |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Genies product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Genies is an AI avatar technology company that builds a unified platform for creating, deploying, and interacting with intelligent digital avatars. Its offerings include consumer-facing chat products (Genies Chat), a creator studio (Genies Studio), developer SDKs (Avatar, Art Forge, Intelligence, Party), and an NFT marketplace for avatar wearables (The Warehouse). The technology combines visual identity, personality, animation, and cross-platform interoperability to deliver persistent AI characters for entertainment, sports, music, and gaming use cases.
Product overview
Genies is an AI Character Company providing a unified platform for creating, deploying, and interacting with intelligent digital avatars. The product portfolio centers on three interconnected layers: (1) Consumer-facing products including Genies Chat (beta) for interacting with AI characters and Genies Studio for creating custom AI personas; (2) Developer tools including the Avatar SDK, Art Forge SDK, Intelligence SDK, and Party SDK delivered through Unity integration; and (3) the underlying Smart Avatar Framework enabling persistent identity across platforms. The company serves celebrities, sports leagues, entertainment brands, and game developers who license or build with Genies' technology. The four-pillar approach (Looks, Brain, Behavior, Play) integrates visual avatar rendering, conversational AI intelligence, real-time behavioral animation, and cross-platform interoperability into a cohesive ecosystem.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The Warehouse: A marketplace for digital fashion items and avatar wearables launched by Genies Studio, enabling creators and designers to customize and sell avatar fashion items as NFTs.
Products and services
- Genies Chat A beta AI character chat platform where users interact with animated AI characters derived from celebrities, icons, and original characters. Characters have distinct personalities, visual appearances, voices, and memory systems enabling dynamic real-time conversations.
- Genies Studio A browser-based character creation platform in beta that enables users to build their own intelligent and expressive AI characters. Users shape character personality, lore, aesthetic, and expressions, then launch characters into Genies Chat or integrate them into games and apps.
- Avatar SDK A Unity-based software development kit enabling developers to integrate high-fidelity, customizable avatars into apps or games. The SDK provides character systems for players and NPCs with cross-platform performance and persistent identity across experiences. Available for free download from the Unity Asset Store.
- Art Forge SDK Developer tool for creating digital fashion items, avatar accessories, and virtual goods that can be used within the Genies ecosystem and integrated into games and applications.
- Intelligence SDK Developer toolkit providing AI brain and personality engine capabilities, enabling developers to add conversational intelligence, memory systems, and behavioral AI to their applications.
- Party SDK Developer platform for building user-generated content games and experiences with AI-powered smart avatars. Enables interoperability across ecosystems and powers next-generation UGC gaming experiences.
- The Warehouse A digital fashion NFT marketplace enabling creators and designers to customize and sell avatar fashion items. Operates as a secondary market for avatar wearables and digital collectibles.
Quantifiable outcome
- AI avatar market projected to grow from $0.55B in 2026 to $5.45B by 2032 at 46.7% CAGR
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Genies
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Genies technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability11 records
Feature6 records
Genies partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- WEBTOON EntertainmentcoreStrategic partnership to develop interactive digital avatar tools enabling creators to transform webcomic characters into 3D interactive formats for fan engagement. Feature launching summer 2026 with select flagship titles including 'The Greatest Estate Developer' and 'The Knight Only Lives Today' before scaling globally.
- WEBTOON EntertainmentcoreIdentified as a recent development in AI avatar market with Genies partnership for AI-powered avatars as part of WEBTOON's expansion into character-driven fan experiences.
- SanriocorePartnership to create interactive AI-enabled digital experiences featuring Sanrio characters including Hello Kitty and Gudetama. Initiative aims to develop personalized digital interactions for fans, with first experience focusing on Gudetama and expected to launch later in 2026.
- NBPA (National Basketball Players Association)coreGenies announced a licensing partnership with NBPA to offer digitally animated avatars of NBA players for use in games and apps. The collaboration aims to expand the digital reach and engagement of NBA players through personalized interactive avatars with AI-powered conversational capabilities.
- King RecordsflagshipPartnership to transform King's popular characters into interactive AI companions, starting with 'HYPNOSISMIC -Division Rap Battle-' franchise. Collaboration offers fans new ways to engage with characters through AI-powered communication with multimedia entertainment project scope.
- MLB Players Inc.coreMLB Players Inc., the licensing arm of the MLB Players Association, signed a group licensing deal with Genies to produce AI-powered digital avatars of all MLB players for fan interaction. The deal enables Genies to generate avatars for every player in the league, featuring AI-powered conversational capabilities powered by LLMs from OpenAI, ElevenLabs, and Google. Players who opt in earn revenue through the group's licensing framework.
- GucciminorFashion brand partnership with Genies for virtual try-on avatars as part of broader AI avatar marketing initiatives. Part of case study showing AI avatars driving conversion lifts of 15-30% for top brands.
- UnitycorePartnership to integrate Genies' Smart Avatar Framework and User-Generated Content tools into the Unity Asset Store and Unity Editor. Launching 2026, enables game developers to create customizable AI avatars while reducing development time spent on character creation and rigging. Provides access to network of IP partners.
- Warner Music GroupcorePartnership making Genies the official avatar and digital goods NFT provider for Warner Music Group artists. Enables creation of AI-powered artist avatars and digital collectibles.
- Universal Music GroupcorePartnership making Genies the official avatar and digital goods NFT provider for Universal Music Group artists. Enables creation of AI-powered artist avatars and digital collectibles.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Genies competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ready Player Me: Cross-platform avatar SDK for games and apps distributed via Unity Asset Store and Unreal. Genies explicitly positions against Ready Player Me in its SDK comparison content, making it the closest direct competitor on developer avatar tooling.
- Character.AI: Consumer AI character platform letting users chat with AI personas including celebrities and originals. Directly comparable to Genies Chat on the conversational AI companion side, with similar celebrity-licensing and user-generated character dynamics.
- Inworld AI: Developer platform for AI-driven NPC characters in games and immersive experiences. Competes with Genies' Intelligence SDK and Party SDK on adding conversational and behavioral AI to game characters.
- VRChat: Social VR platform with deeply customizable avatars and a creator economy. Comparable to Genies on avatar interoperability and user-generated content, though focused on VR-native experiences.
- Soul Machines: Provider of AI-powered digital humans for enterprise customer experience and brand engagement. Comparable to Genies' enterprise digital human work (e.g., Gucci virtual try-on) and the Brain/Behavior pillars more broadly.
- Replika: Consumer AI companion app with avatar embodiment and subscription monetization ($7.99-$16/month tier, directly referenced in Genies' pricing benchmarks). Comparable on conversational AI companion monetization and consumer avatar engagement.
Broad incumbents
- Meta (Horizon Worlds and Avatars): Meta operates a broad avatar ecosystem across Horizon Worlds, Quest, Instagram and Messenger. As a much larger incumbent with internal AI research, Meta competes on persistent avatar identity and could enter the AI companion space at scale.
- Roblox: Massive user-generated gaming platform with persistent avatar identity, creator economy and AI character experiments. Comparable to Genies on the Play/interoperability pillar and a potential integration or competitive threat for next-gen UGC games.
Regional players
- ZEPETO: Asia-leading avatar social platform with strong K-pop and entertainment IP partnerships, owned by Naver Z. Comparable to Genies on avatar-as-identity and entertainment IP licensing model, though primarily in Asian markets.
Others
- Decentraland / The Sandbox: Decentralized metaverse platforms with avatar-based identity and NFT-based digital goods. Thematically related to Genies' earlier Web3/NFT strategy and The Warehouse marketplace positioning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Genies social profiles
Digital presenceGenies financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Genies leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Genies funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds12 records
Investors55 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Genies M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments3 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Genies
What does Genies do?
Genies is an AI avatar technology company that builds a unified platform for creating, deploying, and interacting with intelligent digital avatars. Its offerings include consumer-facing chat products (Genies Chat), a creator studio (Genies Studio), developer SDKs (Avatar, Art Forge, Intelligence, Party), and an NFT marketplace for avatar wearables (The Warehouse). The technology combines visual identity, personality, animation, and cross-platform interoperability to deliver persistent AI characters for entertainment, sports, music, and gaming use cases.
Is Genies a public or private company?
Genies is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Genies founded?
Genies was founded in 2017. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Genies based?
Genies is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Genies make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Sports League Licensing is the primary driver. The others are music Industry Licensing, digital Fashion NFT Marketplace, developer SDK Licensing and entertainment IP Partnerships.
Who are Genies's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ready Player Me, Character.AI, Inworld AI, VRChat, Soul Machines and Replika. Broad incumbents are Meta (Horizon Worlds and Avatars) and Roblox. ZEPETO is listed as a regional player. Decentraland / The Sandbox is listed as an others.
Does Genies have an API?
No public API is recorded for Genies.
What industry is Genies in?
Genies's product category is AI Avatar Technology Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAACAF, Agents & Autonomous Workflows (Tool Use, Planning, Multi-Agent), with a secondary code of MPAFAFAF, XR/AR/VR/MR Development Frameworks & Toolchains. Its NAICS code is 5132.