Reality Defender, a deepfake detection platform, has recently secured $33 million in Series A funding. The platform, which is part of Y Combinator’s 2022 cohort, aims to address the increasing threats posed by AI-generated content and deepfakes.
The funding round was led by Illuminate Financial and saw participation from other prominent investors such as Booz Allen Hamilton, IBM Ventures, the Jefferies Family Office, and Accenture. Series A lead investor DCVC, along with existing investors Partnership for New York City and Y Combinator, also contributed to the funding round.
Prior to this funding round, Reality Defender received the 2024 SINET16 Innovator Award, which recognizes emerging companies with innovative cybersecurity technologies. The platform was also named the “Most innovative startup” at the 2024 RSA Conference Innovation Sandbox earlier this year.
Founded in 2021, Reality Defender’s mission is to provide cutting-edge solutions for detecting deepfakes, as new methods of creating malicious deepfakes using generative AI continue to emerge in the market. The platform believes that innovation is key to staying ahead of the latest deepfake threats, which can lead to fraud, security breaches, and the spread of disinformation.
Reality Defender offers comprehensive solutions for detecting deepfakes across various media formats, including audio, video, images, and text. Industries such as finance, government, and media have already benefited from the platform’s technology.
The founding team of Reality Defender, comprised of CEO Ben Colman, Gaurav Bharaj, and Ali Shahriyari, brings a wealth of experience in data science and cybersecurity from their previous roles at Google, Goldman Sachs, and the Intelligence Community.
Colman, with over 15 years of technical and entrepreneurial experience, has worked at major companies like Google, Goldman Sachs, and Y Combinator. Bharaj, who holds a PhD in Computer Science from Harvard University, has held leadership positions at various tech companies and aims to use generative AI to enhance human lives. Shahriyari, with over 25 years of experience in software development, has held executive roles at prominent organizations and co-founded a fashion company in the past.
In a blog post announcing the company’s funding, Colman emphasized the importance of combating AI-driven disinformation in today’s era of advanced technology. The team at Reality Defender is committed to playing their part in addressing the challenges posed by deepfakes and ensuring the integrity of digital content.
With this recent funding, Reality Defender is well-positioned to continue developing innovative solutions for detecting and combating deepfakes, ultimately contributing to a safer digital environment for businesses, platforms, and individuals alike.
