Synthesia
London · founded 2017
Synthesia is a London-based AI-video company that lets businesses turn plain text into studio-style videos narrated by realistic AI avatars in 140+ languages, aimed squarely at corporate training, comms and marketing (it claims most of the Fortune 100 as customers). Founded in 2017 by Victor Riparbelli, Steffen Tjerrild and academics Lourdes Agapito and Matthias Niessner, it is one of the UK's highest-valued AI startups, hitting a $4bn valuation in January 2026. Its own careers copy sells a high-velocity engineering culture ('features every few days, not weeks') with few meetings and no SCRUM ceremonies, which reads as fast and autonomous but also as intense hyper-growth. Honest caveat: synthetic-media / deepfake technology draws ongoing ethical scrutiny, so the mission is not for everyone.
see the full file on Synthesiadocumented benefits (21)
| PTO | 25 days |
|---|---|
| Equity | options |
| Birthing-parent leave | 16 weeks |
| Partner leave | 5 weeks |
| How leave is framed | birthing_partner |
| Retirement match | 5% pension match |
| Retirement match ceiling | 5% |
| Work from abroad | yes |
| Days abroad per year | 60 days |
| Home-office stipend | offered |
| Food | lunch |
| Office policy | Fully remote from Europe, or hybrid with an office in London |
| Fully remote roles | yes |
| Learning budget | offered |
| Conference travel | yes |
| Offices | London, New York |
| Countries with offices | United Kingdom, United States |
| Funding stage | Series E |
| Last round | $200,000,000 |
| Valuation at last round | $4,000,000,000 |
| Publicly traded | offered |
notable perks
- Employees receive an annual learning budget for courses and conferences.
- Employees outside Synthesia's London and New York offices can work remotely.
the legal floor where they are
Set by law, not by Synthesia. It applies to every employer in London.
| State pension | auto-enrolment: employer contributes at least 3% of qualifying earnings (Working Time Regulations 1998; Employment Rights Act 1996) |
|---|---|
| Disability rights at work | Equality Act 2010: disability is a protected characteristic and s.20 imposes a duty to make reasonable adjustments (Working Time Regulations 1998; Employment Rights Act 1996) |
| Neurodivergent adjustments | Reasonable adjustments are owed on the IMPACT of a condition, not on a diagnosis. ACAS is explicit that no formal diagnosis is required, so the duty can arise before anyone has been assessed -- which matters when an adult autism assessment is a multi-year wait. Autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia are covered where the effect on day-to-day activities is substantial and long-term. Asking for an adjustment is itself protected: you cannot lawfully be dismissed or treated worse for asking. (Working Time Regulations 1998; Employment Rights Act 1996) |
| State school fees | state schools free; independent schools are unsubsidised (Working Time Regulations 1998; Employment Rights Act 1996) |
| Path to citizenship | Five years plus 12 months' settled status (indefinite leave to remain), with Life in the UK and English B1 (Working Time Regulations 1998; Employment Rights Act 1996) |
| How healthcare is paid for | The NHS: tax-funded and free at the point of use. The NHS Constitution for England puts it as a right -- care is provided "free of charge, apart from certain limited exceptions sanctioned by Parliament" -- and "you have the right to access NHS services. You will not be refused access on unreasonable grounds." But health is DEVOLVED: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run four separate systems with different charges, different waiting-time rules and different fertility policies, and a UK-wide average is usually a fiction. Migrants pay for access up front through the Immigration Health Surcharge, charged with the visa application: GBP 1,035 per year for most applicants and GBP 776 per year for students, their dependants, Youth Mobility Scheme holders and under-18s -- GBP 3,105 for a three-year work visa, per person, before you have used the NHS once. (Working Time Regulations 1998; Employment Rights Act 1996.) |
Every claim above is sourced and dated. See sources on the full page.
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