What Holotech Studios does

Holotech Studios Inc., doing business as Animaze (formerly FaceRig), is a privately held developer of real-time avatar animation technology headquartered in San Francisco with an EU representative entity in Bucharest, Romania. The company's core product, Animaze Desktop, captures facial expressions via webcam or Apple True Depth camera and retargets them onto a library of 2D (Live2D) and 3D (VRM, FBX, Ready Player Me, Union Avatars) avatar models for live streaming, video conferencing, and content creation. Supporting products include the Animaze Editor (a free PC authoring tool for creating and customizing avatars, props, and scenes), Animaze iOS and Android mobile apps, the Animaze SDK for embedding avatar technology into third-party iOS, Android, and PC applications, and a conversational AI feature called Animaze ChatPal. The platform supports integrations with OBS, Stream Deck, Discord, Zoom, Google Meet, Twitch, YouTube, Facebook Gaming, Leap Motion, and Tobii eye trackers, and distributes via Steam, the Apple App Store, and Google Play.

The company monetizes through a hybrid model: a free individual tier with optional monthly/annual subscriptions (Individual, Business, Enterprise), perpetual one-time license versions (Animaze Plus/Pro 22, 23, 24), in-app virtual currency for avatar and prop purchases, a PRO commercial license required for creators earning more than $500/month from content, and bespoke enterprise engagements that include custom avatar creation, SDK integration, and professional services. Holotech serves four primary customer segments: individual content creators (streamers, YouTubers, VTubers), enterprise customers (e.g., Native Camp, an ESL tutoring platform serving 500,000+ students; the NBA's Mavrello mascot; Green Our Planet nonprofit), avatar artists who build and sell through the Animaze storefront, and app developers integrating the SDK. The company claims a community of over one million creators and has no disclosed institutional funding, operating with 1–10 employees under founder-CEO Dragos-Florin Stanculescu.

Name

Holotech Studios

Legal name

Holotech Studios Inc.

Website

https://animaze.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Avatar animation software

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Humans, Avatars & Real-Time Character Pipelines (MPAHADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

3D Character Animation (MPAHACAB), Virtual Influencers, VTubers & Avatar/Face-Tracking (Gaming Creators) (MPAFAEAK)

Keywords

• Avatar animation software
• Real-time face tracking
• Virtual avatar platform
• VTuber streaming tools
• Avatar creation software

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

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, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription Services: Monthly and annual subscription plans (Individual, Business, Enterprise tiers) providing access to avatar libraries, premium features, and commercial usage rights. Subscriptions include the Animaze Desktop app with regular updates.
2. One-Time DLC Purchases: Perpetual licenses for specific versions (Animaze Plus 22, Pro 22, Plus/Pro 23, Plus/Pro 24) sold as one-time purchases through Steam. These versions provide feature-locked functionality owned forever without recurring fees.
3. Virtual Currency and In-App Purchases: Virtual currency (coins, points) purchasable within the app for acquiring avatars, customizations, props, and backgrounds from the storefront. Revenue from virtual goods transactions.
4. Commercial Licensing: PRO License for users earning over $500/month from content, granting broader commercial usage rights. Business/commercial license agreements for enterprise customers using avatars in business operations.
5. Enterprise Custom Solutions: Custom avatar creation, SDK integration, bespoke engineering, and professional services for enterprise clients requiring tailored solutions (Native Camp, Green Our Planet, etc.).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Holotech Studios develops and sells Animaze, a real-time avatar animation platform that lets users embody digital characters using webcam and iPhone-based facial expression tracking. The platform supports 2D (Live2D) and 3D (FBX/VRM/Ready Player Me) avatars, integrates with streaming and conferencing tools (OBS, Twitch, YouTube, Zoom, Discord), and offers a free Animaze Editor for authoring custom avatars and props.

Product overview

Holotech Studios offers Animaze, a unified avatar-based communication and entertainment platform comprising desktop (Windows), mobile (iOS), and editor tools. The core product is Animaze Desktop, which uses webcam or iPhone camera for real-time facial expression tracking to animate avatars for streaming, video conferencing, and content creation. Supporting products include the free Animaze Editor for creating custom 2D (Live2D) and 3D (FBX/VRM) avatars, the Animaze SDK for enterprise developers, and perpetual license options (Animaze Plus/Pro 22/23/24) for one-time purchase ownership. The platform supports extensive integrations with streaming tools (OBS, Stream Deck, Discord, Zoom), motion capture hardware (Leap Motion, Tobii), and avatar formats (Live2D, VRM, Ready Player Me, FBX). Enterprise offerings include custom avatar creation, IP protection, and bespoke engineering services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Animaze Desktop Windows desktop application that animates avatars in real time using webcam or iPhone facial tracking. Provides avatar library, streaming integration, and compatibility with OBS, Twitch, YouTube, Facebook Gaming, Zoom, Discord, and Google Meet. Targets streamers, YouTubers, VTubers, and content creators.
• Animaze iOS App iPhone mobile application that enables avatar-based communication using the device's True Depth camera for facial tracking. Supports importing custom avatars and syncing with desktop installations. Targets individual creators and mobile content producers.
• Animaze Editor PC-based authoring tool for creating and customizing 2D (Live2D) and 3D (FBX/VRM) avatars, props, backgrounds, and scenes. Supports skeletal animations, blendshapes, particle systems, and bundling content for the Animaze platform. Available for free download via website or Steam. Targets avatar artists and hobbyist creators.
• Animaze SDK Software development kit providing cross-platform APIs for embedding interactive digital characters and avatar animation into iOS, Android, or PC applications. Targets enterprise developers seeking to integrate avatar technology into their products.
• Animaze Enterprise Custom enterprise offering bundling commercial rights management, IP protection via digital watermarking, custom avatar creation, SDK integration, and bespoke engineering services. Targets organizations needing tailored avatar solutions for education, entertainment, and marketing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Production time reduction from weeks to days for mascot content creation (Mavrello case)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration19 records

AI capability7 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Live2D Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationLive2D Inc. provides the Cubism SDK that enables 2D avatar support in Animaze. The platform supports Live2D Cubism models exported for runtime versions 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, and 4.0. Commercial users with annual sales exceeding 20 million JPY must execute a separate Publication License Agreement with Live2D Inc.
• Native CampflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNative Camp is an ESL online tutoring platform serving 500,000+ students with 13,000 teachers across 110+ countries. They use Animaze to transform teachers into avatar characters (bears) for engaging online lessons that put students at ease and promote class participation.
• Green Our PlanetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit running the largest school garden program in the US. Created custom avatar using Animaze's documentation and creative tools for fun, creative, and educational content to boost student interest in environmental topics.
• Mavrello (NBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNBA team mascot transformed into digital media mogul. The Mark Cuban Experiments team used Animaze with a 3D avatar, iPhone, and voice actor to create engaging content, reducing production time from weeks to days.
• Wind Sun Sky Entertainment (Camp Bonkers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEntertainment company using Animaze for Camp Bonkers virtual summer camp. Counselors appear as avatars on YouTube content to engage campers and enhance the at-home camp experience.
• Google (Firebase)coreTechnology or IntegrationFirebase services from Google LLC power the Animaze app with Google Analytics for Firebase (usage analytics and attribution), Crashlytics (error reporting), A/B Testing, Cloud Messaging (push notifications), and Cloud Infrastructure.
• Steam (Valve)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSteam serves as a primary distribution channel for Animaze Desktop products, including subscription-based products with regular updates and one-time DLC purchases (Animaze Plus/Pro). The Animaze Editor is available through Steam's Tools section.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Live2D Inc. Live2D builds the Cubism SDK that Animaze integrates for 2D avatar runtime support. Both companies serve the same VTuber/anime-fan creator base and compete for where creators author and animate their 2D avatars. Live2D is technically a partner, but functionally a peer in the Live2D avatar pipeline.
• VTube Studio (Denchi): VTube Studio is one of the most widely used real-time VTuber avatar puppeteering apps on PC and mobile — directly comparable to Animaze Desktop/iOS for live face-tracking avatar streaming into OBS and Twitch. Same product category, same buyer (individual creators/VTubers), same delivery model.
• VTubing / 'FaceRig-era' community tooling (e.g., 3tene, RiBLA Broadcast): 3tene and other FaceRig-successor VTuber apps target exactly the same desktop face-tracking avatar streaming workflow as Animaze. Same end-user (streamers/VTubers), same OBS/Twitch distribution, and share a direct product-lineage through the FaceRig era that Animaze is itself positioned as continuing.

Emerging players

• Ready Player Me: Ready Player Me offers a cross-platform 3D avatar creation system that Animaze actually imports. Operates as a parallel avatar identity layer (used in games, VR, and apps), overlapping with Animaze on avatar portability and creator-driven 3D avatar assets.
• VRoid (pixiv): VRoid Hub / VRoid Studio lets creators build stylised anime-style 3D avatars that compete for the VTuber-avatar creation market Animaze serves. Many VRoid models end up streamed via VTuber tooling, putting VRoid partially in Animaze's value chain and partially as an alternative authoring flow.
• Krikey AI: Krikey AI combines avatar creation tools with conversational AI (their 'AI NPCs' and avatar video generator). Overlaps with Animaze's ChatPal and avatar-animation roadmap, and targets similar enterprise/marketing use cases for branded avatars.
• Wolf3D / Photomyne avatar division: Wolf3D powers cross-platform 3D avatar creation (headshot-to-avatar) used in games, apps, and the metaverse. Comparable as an avatar-as-a-service layer that prioritises interoperability — directly adjacent to Animaze's multi-format cross-platform approach.
• Union Avatars: Union Avatars offers cross-game, cross-app 3D avatar portability — Animaze supports importing Union Avatar models. Competes for the same 'cross-platform avatar identity' positioning and creator-driven avatar asset flow.

Broad incumbents

• Zepeto (Naver Z): Zepeto is a large, established avatar-based social platform with hundreds of millions of users. Targets the same consumer-facing avatar-for-self-expression and creator economy use case as Animaze, but as part of a much broader closed ecosystem rather than cross-platform tooling.
• Roblox Studio avatar ecosystem: Roblox is a much larger incumbent in user-generated avatar-driven content and virtual identity. While not a direct face-tracking puppeteering competitor, it competes for creator time and avatar monetisation that Animaze targets via its creator/storefront motion.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/animazefacerig
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/FaceRig
• Facebookfacebook.com/AnimazebyFaceRig
• Instagraminstagram.com/animazeofficial

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Holotech Studios