Paris-based AI startup Argil is transforming video production by making high-quality video creation accessible and affordable for everyone. The company recently raised €4.9 million in pre-seed and seed funding to scale its innovative platform, designed for creators, educators, and businesses. This funding round was led by EQT Ventures, following an initial €1 million pre-seed investment from Seedcamp and Axeleo. Notable investors include YouTuber Kwebbelkop and Charles Gorintin, co-founder of Alan and Mistral AI.
Argil leverages artificial intelligence to simplify and accelerate the video creation process. CEO and co-founder Laodis Menard, who drew inspiration from his experience as a product marketing leader at a French unicorn, explained that video production often involves high costs, long timelines, and a need for on-camera confidence that not everyone possesses. Argil’s mission is to democratize video production, enabling anyone to produce engaging, professional-quality videos using hyper-realistic AI avatars.
The startup, which emerged from Y Combinator, has developed a user-friendly platform that allows users to create lifelike avatars trained from uploaded videos. These avatars can replicate natural expressions and body language, producing ready-to-publish videos in multiple languages within minutes. At just €1 per minute of video, Argil’s solution is both cost-effective and efficient, meeting the growing demand for high-quality video content in today’s creator-driven digital economy.
Argil’s AI technology offers more than just avatars. Its platform includes features like AI-assisted pre-editing, automatic captioning, and B-roll integration, enabling creators to transform text or audio content into dynamic video formats effortlessly. Unlike traditional corporate avatars, which can appear robotic and unnatural, Argil’s avatars deliver a human-like performance that resonates with viewers, making them ideal for marketing, education, entertainment, and branding purposes.
The platform has already gained traction across a variety of use cases. Popular YouTubers have adopted Argil’s tools to streamline their content creation, and even projects involving late celebrities, such as Audrey Hepburn, have utilized the technology to introduce iconic figures to new audiences.
Investors see immense potential in Argil’s approach. Ted Persson, a partner at EQT Ventures, emphasized the company’s position at the crossroads of two significant trends: artificial intelligence and the creator economy. He praised Argil’s ability to translate advanced AI technology into a sleek, intuitive platform, enabling widespread adoption by creators and businesses alike.
With fresh funding, Argil plans to expand its operations and continue refining its technology. The company is poised to address the surging demand for personalized video content in a competitive market, where engaging storytelling is a key driver of success. By removing traditional barriers like cost and complexity, Argil is empowering creators to focus on what matters most—bringing their ideas to life.
Argil’s vision is clear: make video creation as easy and accessible as writing a tweet. By combining cutting-edge AI technology with a user-first approach, Argil is set to redefine video production and help creators and businesses stand out in an increasingly crowded digital space.
