Revamping Computer Vision: Beyond Presence’s Leap into Hyper-Realistic Avatars
Advancements in smartphone technology and artificial intelligence (AI) are significantly enhancing computer vision applications, enabling devices to "see" what was once beyond their capability. Munich-based startup Beyond Presence is at the forefront, envisioning a future with hyper-realistic avatars that not only look like their human counterparts but also engage in real-time conversations.
Today, Beyond Presence announced a successful pre-seed funding round of $3.1 million, led by HV Capital. Other contributors include 10x Founders, Alba VC, and industry veterans from Meta, DeepMind, and Zalando.
While the startup has yet to unveil its technology, CEO and co-founder Awais Shafique revealed that they are on the brink of a public beta launch scheduled for the end of this month. Funding will be allocated toward refining foundational models and ensuring a smooth rollout. Currently, 300 companies are eagerly waiting for early access, with promising applications anticipated in customer service, recruitment, sales, and e-learning—areas where companies aim to enhance user engagement without incurring additional staffing costs.
How has Beyond Presence garnered such substantial investment ahead of product launch? Much of this is attributed to the founders’ impressive backgrounds. Shafique previously co-founded Presize, a computer vision company that enabled accurate online apparel fitting through user-generated smartphone footage. Their participation in the German TV version of “Dragons Den”/“Shark Tank” in 2020 led to a record-breaking €650,000 investment, significantly boosting their profile.
In April 2022, news broke that Meta had acquired Presize, although the details of the deal remain undisclosed. Speculations suggest that given Meta's significant acquisition spending—over $1.15 billion in the first half of 2022—Presize likely commanded a valuation in the lower nine figures, a promising exit for Shafique and his co-founders, who initially raised only a few million.
“It’s lucrative enough that we don’t have to work,” Shafique mentioned, although all three founders continue to be actively involved in their projects. While Shafique is focused on Beyond Presence, his co-founders, Leon Szeli and Tomislav Tomov, remain at Meta, contributing to generative AI efforts while also investing in Shafique’s new venture.
Beyond Presence shares Presize’s mission to tackle complex computer vision challenges. Initially skeptical about the viability of digital avatars—an area with ongoing hype due to recent AI advancements—Shafique recognizes the lack of clarity on how to sustain avatar-based businesses long term. Some competitors, like Hyper and Ready Player Me, draw inspiration from gaming and offer less realistic avatar representations for privacy-seeking users. In contrast, others like Synthesia are known for creating lifelike digital replicas, albeit requiring controlled environments for production.
Beyond Presence aims to take a different route, providing users the ability to create real-time, personalized avatars using everyday devices. They aspire to develop dynamic video avatars akin to advanced chatbots powered by AI models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and others.
The competitive landscape includes established players like Zoom and CommonGround, both exploring hyper-realistic avatars. However, Beyond Presence is carving out a niche by emphasizing an innovative video component in its offering. The experience is enriched by Eleven Labs for voice generation and OpenAI's GPT for content creation, allowing business clients to choose their preferred language model or voice agent.
A key decision for Beyond Presence was to reject an opportunity with Y Combinator, despite the incubator's strong network. Shafique and CTO Felix Altenberger opted to maintain their equity and creative control, believing in a "horizontal" growth approach that prioritizes core technology advancements.
Stay tuned for Beyond Presence’s groundbreaking developments as they push the boundaries of computer vision and redefine avatar technology.
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