Inworld AI develops highly interactive and autonomous virtual characters powered by AI. The company's core product is a platform that allows developers to create lifelike AI NPCs (non-player characters) that can engage in free-form dialog and behave independently within virtual environments like games, VR/AR experiences, and the metaverse. By integrating with industry-standard game engines like Unity and Unreal, Inworld enables creators to build rich, immersive virtual worlds with responsive AI inhabitants.
The founding team has expertise in conversational AI, previously co-founding API.AI which was acquired by Google in 2016 to become the foundation of Google's Dialogflow platform. This direct experience building large-scale language models uniquely positions Inworld to push the boundaries of open-ended AI dialog. With over $100 million raised from top investors like Lightspeed Venture Partners and Microsoft's M12 fund, along with partnerships with major brands like Disney, the company is well-capitalized to execute on its ambitious vision. Inworld presents the opportunity to work at the cutting-edge of generative AI while shaping how humans will interact with virtual characters and worlds.
While Inworld has gained early traction in gaming, a key challenge will be expanding its character AI technology into other industries like customer service, marketing, and entertainment experiences. Demonstrating the scalability and unique capabilities of its language models compared to competitors will be critical for long-term success. The company also faces the inherent risk of operating in an emerging domain where use cases, regulations, and societal acceptance are still being defined.
2021
Founded
100-250
Employees
Series A
Stage
$500M
Latest Valuation
$100-200M
Total Funding
Aug 02 2023
Last Fundraise
Why is the rating
Founders
Michael Ermolenko
- Engineering Manager II at Google, VP R&D at Dialogflow, Director Software Engineering at Noveo Group.
Ilya Gelfenbeyn
- Co-Founder & CEO at Dialogflow, Head of Google Assistant Investments at Google, Founder at Google Assistant Investments.
Kylan Gibbs
- Co-Founder at FLOW X, Product Manager at DeepMind Technologies, Associate Consultant at Bain & Company
Top Previous Employers
Microsoft
Meta
Huawei
Unity
Yandex
Amazon
Investors
Founders Fund
Facebook, SpaceX, Affirm
Kleiner Perkins
Figma, Rippling, Google