Synthesia

Victor Riparbelli and Steffen Tjerrild are entrepreneurs behind Synthesia, a London-based AI company founded in 2017 that aims to transform video production. Riparbelli studied computer science and business informatics in Copenhagen and at Stanford, and previously worked in digital strategy and startup growth. Tjerrild holds a master’s degree in applied economics and finance from Copenhagen Business School and moved from sales and business roles into the startup world. Together, they established Synthesia to enable users to convert text into video via AI-driven avatars, aiming to eliminate the need for traditional filming equipment.

Riparbelli leads strategy, product vision and partnerships, while Tjerrild oversees operations, finance and scaling globally. The company’s platform is used by large enterprises for training, marketing and internal communications, across dozens of languages and served by a technology foundation in deep learning, computer vision and synthetic media. In recent years, Synthesia has raised significant funding, with valuations reaching over $1bn and later doubling to about $2.1bn.

Under Riparbelli and Tjerrild’s leadership, the firm has expanded its presence in North America, Europe and beyond, built out its engineering and ethical-AI teams and positioned itself at the forefront of generative-video innovation. Riparbelli and Tjerrild represent a merging of engineering, business leadership and global ambition: they lead a company that is redefining how organisations create and distribute video content in the age of AI.