NZ’s Soul Machines Gets US$40m Funding to Expand Globally

Soul Machines, the New Zealand-based company that claims to have re-imagined how humans connect with machines, has announced its US$40 million Series B financing from global investors to advance the way humans and machines collaborate.

The investment was led by Temasek from Singapore, with participation from Lakestar and Salesforce Ventures, along with further investment from existing investors Horizons Ventures, University of Auckland Inventors Fund, and others from their earlier rounds.

Lakestar is one of Europe’s leading venture capital firm investing in technology companies led by exceptional entrepreneurs. Early investors included Skype, Spotify, Facebook, and Airbnb.

Soul Machines, described as a groundbreaking, high-tech company of AI researchers, neuroscientists, psychologists, artists, and innovative thinkers, is reimagining how people connect with machines.

The company brings technology to life by creating incredibly lifelike, emotionally responsive characters that talk to users. One of its clients, Digital Heroes, “is able to democratize personal experience in a way that has not been previously possible”.

With the fresh funding, Soul Machines plans to continue expanding globally with a specific focus on R&D and increasing its operating footprint around the world to meet growing demand.

“We have enjoyed getting to know and work with the teams at Temasek, Lakestar and Salesforce Ventures and believe they are the perfect partners to help as we continue to expand and grow our business, technology, and client base globally,” said Greg Cross, Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer, Soul Machines.

Soul Machines was founded by Academy Award winner Mark Sagar and serial entrepreneur Cross in 2016 when it was spun out of the University of Auckland.

Together, technology pioneers Sagar and Cross are fusing AI, computational brain models and experiential learning to usher in a new era of customer experience.

“We are very grateful for the continued support from Horizons Ventures who are highly valued partners that understand how great technology businesses are built,” added Cross.