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Brud

Full company profile

uuid0003l27

Namestring
Brud
Legal namestring
Brud
Websiteurl
brud.fyi
Company typeenum
Private
Founded yearint
2014
Operating statusenum
Operating
Ownership categoryenum
Headcount rangeband
51–100
akta.pro rankint
HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
HQ citystring
Los Angeles
HQ countrystring
United States
HQ regionstring
North America
Markets served

Serves global market

Keyword5 values
virtual influencer creation, AI digital personas, CGI content production, synthetic media services, brand ambassador content
Industry3 codes
1Virtual Influencers, VTubers & Avatar/Face-Tracking (Gaming Creators)
CodeMPAFAEAKPrimaryYes
2Influencer & Creator Marketing
CodeBPAFAAAGPrimaryNo
3Influencer Strategy & Campaign Management
CodeMPAAAHAAPrimaryNo
NAICS code2 codes
  • Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers5162
  • Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures7114
SIC code1 code
  • Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution7829
Product category
Virtual Influencer Services
Social media profiles1 record
GTM motion2 records

Each record includes

Type, Description, Source

Revenue model2 records
1Brand Partnerships and Sponsored Content
TypeAdvertising
Description

Brud generates revenue through brand partnerships where Lil Miquela promotes brands including Prada, Samsung, Calvin Klein, and BMW through sponsored social media content.

aimultiple.com
2Virtual Influencer Services
TypeLicensing Royalties
Description

Revenue generated from creating and operating virtual influencer personas for brands seeking AI-generated ambassador representation.

market.us
Marketing channels7 records

Each record includes

Title, Type, Stage, Description, Source

Distribution channels4 records

Each record includes

Title, Type, Scope, Target buyer, Description, Source

Cost components4 values
Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
GTM typeB2B
B2B
Offering typeServices
Services
Core offering1 text field

Brud creates and operates AI-generated virtual influencer personas, headlined by Lil Miquela, for use in brand partnerships and sponsored content campaigns. The company combines CGI, motion capture, and artificial intelligence to produce hyperrealistic digital personas distributed across major social media platforms for luxury and consumer brand marketing.

Differentiator
Functional benefit
Problem solved
Quantifiable outcome1 of 2 values shown
  • Lil Miquela achieved recognition as one of Time's 25 Most Influential People on the Internet
+1 more record
Product overview1 text field

Brud is referenced in third-party market research and news sources as a player in the virtual influencer and synthetic persona space, operating alongside competitors such as Soul Machines, Lil Miquela (Dapper Labs), Shudu, and Aww Inc. in a market projected to grow significantly through the 2020s. No primary source Brud website or product documentation is present in the provided data. According to market intelligence sources, Brud is identified as a key industry player driving innovation in hyperrealistic digital personas for the synthetic influencer market, alongside Soul Machines and DeepBrain AI. Brud is also listed among AI in fashion technology examples alongside DressX, Daydream, The RealReal, Yoona.ai, Naratix, Zalando, Google, Heuritech, Sewbo, Ralph Lauren, Microsoft, Warby Parker, Amazon, H&M, and Shutterstock.

Product and service1 record
1Lil Miquela
CategoryVirtual Influencer Services
Description

An AI-generated virtual influencer persona created and operated by Brud using proprietary CGI, motion capture, and artificial intelligence technology. Lil Miquela is deployed for branded content collaborations and marketing campaigns with brands including Prada, Samsung, Calvin Klein, and BMW across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Spotify, and X. Recognized as one of Time's 25 Most Influential People on the Internet, the persona reaches 6M+ combined followers.

Scale indicator3 records

Each record includes

Type, Value, Description, Source

Partnership1 partner
Strategic tierCoreTypeStrategic or Co-development Partner
Description

Brud was acquired by Dapper Labs, bringing Lil Miquela under the Dapper Labs portfolio alongside NBA Top Shot, CryptoKitties, and Disney Pinnacle. Miquela is now operated as a studio product under Dapper Labs.

Recent move5 records

Each record includes

Date, Type, Title, Description, Source

Expansion highlight5 records

Each record includes

Type, Description

Peers10 records
TypeBroad incumbent
Description

D-ID builds AI-generated digital humans and talking avatars for marketing and customer engagement, competing for the same brand budgets seeking synthetic spokesperson capabilities as Brud.

TypeBroad incumbent
Description

TikTok's Symphony suite and AI creator tools enable brands to spin up AI-generated influencers natively on the platform, representing a platform-level competitor to Brud's independent virtual influencer model.

TypeDirect peer
Description

Soul Machines is a direct peer creating hyperrealistic AI-driven digital humans and virtual personas for enterprise brand and customer-experience use cases, frequently named alongside Brud in synthetic influencer market coverage.

TypeDirect peer
Description

DeepBrain AI produces AI-generated virtual avatars and digital humans for marketing, training, and branded content, cited in market research alongside Brud as a key player in the synthetic influencer space.

5Shudu (by The Diigitals)
TypeDirect peer
Description

Shudu is a pioneering virtual supermodel and the agency model The Diigitals' multi-persona operation directly competes with Brud's Lil Miquela in the fashion/luxury virtual influencer category.

TypeDirect peer
Description

Aww Inc. is a Japanese virtual influencer agency operating multiple synthetic personas (imma, Aoi Kanda, plusticboy) for brand partnerships, a structurally similar multi-persona virtual influencer business model to Brud.

TypeBroad incumbent
Description

Synthesia provides AI-generated avatar video production at enterprise scale, offering brands an alternative way to produce synthetic spokesperson content, overlapping with Brud's virtual persona value proposition but optimized for corporate/learning use cases.

TypeOthers
Description

Major talent agencies now represent virtual influencers as part of their creator rosters, making them adjacent participants (and potential disintermediators) competing for the same brand-sponsored deal flow that Brud operates in.

TypeEmerging player
Description

Ready Player Me provides cross-platform avatar infrastructure powering digital identity across games, apps, and virtual experiences, an emerging player enabling the underlying avatar technology that virtual influencers like Lil Miquela could be built upon.

TypeOthers
Description

Dapper Labs is Brud's acquirer and now operates Miquela as a studio product; understanding its Flow/NBA Top Shot economics is relevant for assessing Brud's forward runway and corporate priorities inside the broader portfolio.

Market position
Strengths5 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Weaknesses5 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Competitive moat5 records

Each record includes

Type, Details

Key risks6 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Key highlights7 records

Each record includes

Headline, Details, Source

Customer concentration

Classification, Details

Named customers4 records

Each record includes

Name, Industry, Type, Use case, Source, UUID

Segment2 records

Each record includes

Title, Type, Primary, Description, Pain point addressed, Use case, Source

Ideal customer profile2 records

Each record includes

Profile, Firmographic size, Sales motion, Sales cycle length, Buying structure, Purchase trigger, Buyer persona, Geography, Industry vertical, Primary use case, Description, Pain points, Evidence proof points, Target buyer

Technology focused
Yes
API detail
Has APIbool
No

Docs URL, Description

AI maturity
App detail

Has app

Feature2 records

Each record includes

Title, Differentiator, Description, Source

Core technology
Revenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Number of profiles
Profiles2 records

Each record includes

Name, Designation, Designation category, Overview, Profile commentary, Source

No data
No data
Funding overview

Funding stage, Last funding date, Total funding USD

Funding rounds3 records

Each record includes

Round, Amount USD, Date, Pre money valuation, Total investors, Investors, News

Investors10 records

Each record includes

Name, Type, Date of entry, Rounds participated, Website

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

M&A

Each record includes

Name, Acquisition type, Announced date, Completed date, Status, Website, News

Investment

Each record includes

Name, Round, Announced date, Lead investor, Website, News

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

Brud

Virtual Influencer Servicesbrud.fyi

Brud firmographics

Firmographics
Name
Brud
Legal name
Brud
Website
https://brud.fyi
Company type
Private
Founded year
2014
Operating status
Operating
Headcount range
51–100 employees
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Brud industry classification

Industry
Product category
Virtual Influencer Services
NAICS
Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162), Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (7114)
SIC
Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829)
akta.pro primary industry
Virtual Influencers, VTubers & Avatar/Face-Tracking (Gaming Creators) (MPAFAEAK)
akta.pro secondary industries
Influencer & Creator Marketing (BPAFAAAG), Influencer Strategy & Campaign Management (MPAAAHAA)

Keywords

  • Virtual influencer creation
  • AI digital personas
  • CGI content production
  • Synthetic media services
  • Brand ambassador content

Where Brud is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city
Los Angeles
HQ country
United States
HQ region
North America

Markets served

Brud business model

Business model
GTM type
B2B
Offering type
Services
Cost components
Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

  1. Brand Partnerships and Sponsored Content: Brud generates revenue through brand partnerships where Lil Miquela promotes brands including Prada, Samsung, Calvin Klein, and BMW through sponsored social media content.
  2. Virtual Influencer Services: Revenue generated from creating and operating virtual influencer personas for brands seeking AI-generated ambassador representation.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Brud product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Brud creates and operates AI-generated virtual influencer personas, headlined by Lil Miquela, for use in brand partnerships and sponsored content campaigns. The company combines CGI, motion capture, and artificial intelligence to produce hyperrealistic digital personas distributed across major social media platforms for luxury and consumer brand marketing.

Product overview

Brud is referenced in third-party market research and news sources as a player in the virtual influencer and synthetic persona space, operating alongside competitors such as Soul Machines, Lil Miquela (Dapper Labs), Shudu, and Aww Inc. in a market projected to grow significantly through the 2020s. No primary source Brud website or product documentation is present in the provided data. According to market intelligence sources, Brud is identified as a key industry player driving innovation in hyperrealistic digital personas for the synthetic influencer market, alongside Soul Machines and DeepBrain AI. Brud is also listed among AI in fashion technology examples alongside DressX, Daydream, The RealReal, Yoona.ai, Naratix, Zalando, Google, Heuritech, Sewbo, Ralph Lauren, Microsoft, Warby Parker, Amazon, H&M, and Shutterstock.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

  • Lil Miquela An AI-generated virtual influencer persona created and operated by Brud using proprietary CGI, motion capture, and artificial intelligence technology. Lil Miquela is deployed for branded content collaborations and marketing campaigns with brands including Prada, Samsung, Calvin Klein, and BMW across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Spotify, and X. Recognized as one of Time's 25 Most Influential People on the Internet, the persona reaches 6M+ combined followers.

Quantifiable outcome

  • Lil Miquela achieved recognition as one of Time's 25 Most Influential People on the Internet
  • +1 more outcomes

Companies that use Brud

Customer profile

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Brud technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API
No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Brud partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

  • Dapper LabscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrud was acquired by Dapper Labs, bringing Lil Miquela under the Dapper Labs portfolio alongside NBA Top Shot, CryptoKitties, and Disney Pinnacle. Miquela is now operated as a studio product under Dapper Labs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Brud competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Broad incumbents

  • D-ID: D-ID builds AI-generated digital humans and talking avatars for marketing and customer engagement, competing for the same brand budgets seeking synthetic spokesperson capabilities as Brud.
  • TikTok (Symphony / AI Creator tools): TikTok's Symphony suite and AI creator tools enable brands to spin up AI-generated influencers natively on the platform, representing a platform-level competitor to Brud's independent virtual influencer model.
  • Synthesia: Synthesia provides AI-generated avatar video production at enterprise scale, offering brands an alternative way to produce synthetic spokesperson content, overlapping with Brud's virtual persona value proposition but optimized for corporate/learning use cases.

Direct peers

  • Soul Machines: Soul Machines is a direct peer creating hyperrealistic AI-driven digital humans and virtual personas for enterprise brand and customer-experience use cases, frequently named alongside Brud in synthetic influencer market coverage.
  • DeepBrain AI: DeepBrain AI produces AI-generated virtual avatars and digital humans for marketing, training, and branded content, cited in market research alongside Brud as a key player in the synthetic influencer space.
  • Shudu (by The Diigitals): Shudu is a pioneering virtual supermodel and the agency model The Diigitals' multi-persona operation directly competes with Brud's Lil Miquela in the fashion/luxury virtual influencer category.
  • Aww Inc. Aww Inc. is a Japanese virtual influencer agency operating multiple synthetic personas (imma, Aoi Kanda, plusticboy) for brand partnerships, a structurally similar multi-persona virtual influencer business model to Brud.

Others

  • Influencer / Talent Agencies (e.g., UTA, WME): Major talent agencies now represent virtual influencers as part of their creator rosters, making them adjacent participants (and potential disintermediators) competing for the same brand-sponsored deal flow that Brud operates in.
  • Dapper Labs (parent): Dapper Labs is Brud's acquirer and now operates Miquela as a studio product; understanding its Flow/NBA Top Shot economics is relevant for assessing Brud's forward runway and corporate priorities inside the broader portfolio.

Emerging players

  • Ready Player Me: Ready Player Me provides cross-platform avatar infrastructure powering digital identity across games, apps, and virtual experiences, an emerging player enabling the underlying avatar technology that virtual influencers like Lil Miquela could be built upon.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Brud social profiles

Digital presence

Brud financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Brud leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Brud funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors10 records

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

Brud M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Brud

What does Brud do?

Brud creates and operates AI-generated virtual influencer personas, headlined by Lil Miquela, for use in brand partnerships and sponsored content campaigns. The company combines CGI, motion capture, and artificial intelligence to produce hyperrealistic digital personas distributed across major social media platforms for luxury and consumer brand marketing.

Is Brud a public or private company?

Brud is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.

When was Brud founded?

Brud was founded in 2014. It employs 51 to 100 people.

Where is Brud based?

Brud is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.

How does Brud make money?

Two revenue lines are on record. Brand Partnerships and Sponsored Content is the primary driver. The others are virtual Influencer Services.

Who are Brud's main competitors?

Broad incumbents on record are D-ID, TikTok (Symphony / AI Creator tools) and Synthesia. Direct peers are Soul Machines, DeepBrain AI, Shudu (by The Diigitals) and Aww Inc.. Others are Influencer / Talent Agencies (e.g., UTA, WME) and Dapper Labs (parent). Ready Player Me is listed as an emerging player.

Does Brud have an API?

No public API is recorded for Brud.

What industry is Brud in?

Brud's product category is Virtual Influencer Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAEAK, Virtual Influencers, VTubers & Avatar/Face-Tracking (Gaming Creators), with a secondary code of BPAFAAAG, Influencer & Creator Marketing. Its NAICS code is 5162 and its SIC code is 7829.

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Contact sales
Live signals
Forbes IndiaThe Rise of AI Influencers: Will Virtual Creators Replace Humans?Collective Artists Network, a talent and media company, created AI-generated virtual influencer Radhika Subramaniam in 2025 as the host of a travel-and-food series documenting local cuisines. The global virtual influencer market was valued at $8.76 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $163.22 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 38.4 percent, according to Straits Research. Early pioneers like Lil Miquela (created by Los Angeles startup Brud in 2016), Lu do Magalu, Japan's Imma, and Shudu have already secured collaborations with global brands including Prada, Samsung, and Calvin Klein.The Times of IndiaWho are Mia Zelu and Lil’ Miquela, the rich, famous and fake set of influencers - The Economic TimesVirtual influencers Lil' Miquela and Mia Zelu, AI-generated personas with millions of followers, are reshaping social media marketing and brand partnerships, with Lil' Miquela reportedly earning approximately $73,920 per Instagram post while modeling for luxury brands. Launched in 2016 by Los Angeles startup Brud, Lil' Miquela has accumulated over 2.4 million Instagram followers and secured deals with Prada and Calvin Klein, while Mia Zelu gained 167,000 followers in 2025 through viral Wimbledon imagery. The article explores the broader implications for authenticity, consumer transparency, and the marketing industry as virtual influencers offer brands controlled, scandal-free promotional content.WebrazziDapper Labs, sanal Influencerlar geliştiren Brud'ı satın aldıDapper Labs has acquired Brud, a startup specializing in the development of virtual influencers. As part of the transaction, Brud's entire 32-person team joined Dapper Labs, although specific financial details were not disclosed. This move positions Dapper Labs to expand its portfolio of virtual influencer assets within the sports and entertainment sectors.Business InsiderSome brands are turning to computer-generated influencers who can be 'anywhere' during a pandemicVirtual influencers like Lil Miquela and Shudu Gram have continued campaigns during the pandemic, while human influencers faced travel restrictions. Brands have shown increased interest in virtual avatars for safer campaign imagery, with companies like Brud and Genies reporting higher bookings and brand deals.TubefilterIs A.I. The Next Step For Influencer Marketing? Meet Lil Miquela.Lil Miquela, an AI influencer created by Brud, has over 1.8 million followers and a 2.54% engagement rate, comparable to human influencers. Brands like Calvin Klein and Samsung have used her, though some campaigns faced backlash. The future of AI influencers remains uncertain.TechCrunchThe makers of the virtual influencer, Lil Miquela, snag real money from Silicon ValleyBrud, the Los Angeles-based company behind virtual influencer Lil Miquela, has raised approximately $6 million in a funding round led by Sequoia Capital. The investment follows a coordinated social media campaign involving staged conflicts between Brud's avatars to generate global media attention and sustain audience interest. This strategy highlights the company's focus on manufacturing social influence and leveraging virtual celebrities for commercial purposes.