HomeGamma buys out Accel-backed Lica to boost design capabilities
Gamma, a leading presentation platform, has acquired Lica, an Accel-backed design startup, to establish a dedicated design research lab, according to exclusive reports from TechCrunch. Lica’s co-founders will spearhead this new initiative.
Originally launched as an application that converts screenshots and recordings into project presentations and videos, Lica was founded by Priyaa Kalyanaraman and Purvanshi Mehta in 2023. The company secured $4 million in funding from investors including Accel, South Park Commons, and Village Global. Over the past two years, Lica has specialized in helping e-commerce businesses create marketing videos that strictly adhere to brand guidelines.
Kalyanaraman explained that Lica aimed to develop AI models focused on communication methods, such as video and design. The founders had prior connections with Gamma’s CEO, Lee Grant, as both companies are supported by Accel and South Park Commons. These existing relationships facilitated the acquisition.
“We share a similar vision of making visual communication effortless. While we concentrated on frontier research to ensure accessibility for users, that is only one piece of the puzzle. Gamma has excelled in distribution, reaching over 100 million users. Given the rapid pace of innovation, we decided to combine our strengths,” Kalyanaraman told TechCrunch.
Gamma will continue to focus on presentation creation but, like other design firms, has begun offering image generation capabilities. The company now aims to explore various communication formats through its new research division.
“Presentations remain a core use case for us, but we are exploring how to evolve their appearance, feel, and user engagement. What visuals are possible? How interactive can they be? These questions require a deep focus on the fundamental responsibility of communication. We are excited to invest here because we believe few others are addressing these challenges at this level,” Lee stated.
Lica’s Mehta noted that the new research division will focus on customizing AI model presentation and communication styles for diverse audiences and preferences.
“The goal of a presentation is to convey a major objective. We are building a platform where these objectives can be personalized to deliver high-quality outputs, which users can then adapt for different audiences,” she explained.
While Gamma did not disclose specific products resulting from this acquisition, it emphasized its goal of creating fluid, multimodal presentations and other communication methods.
AI presentation startups have attracted significant investor attention and funding in recent years. Prezent raised $50 million across two rounds; Gamma secured $68 million at a $2.1 billion valuation; and Presentations.ai is also backed by Accel. Consolidation in this sector is emerging: earlier this month, OpenAI acquired NextSlide.
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Gamma, a leading presentation platform, has acquired Lica, an Accel-backed design startup, to establish a dedicated design research lab, according to exclusive reports from TechCrunch. Lica’s co-founders will spearhead this new initiative.
Originally launched as an application that converts screenshots and recordings into project presentations and videos, Lica was founded by Priyaa Kalyanaraman and Purvanshi Mehta in 2023. The company secured $4 million in funding from investors including Accel, South Park Commons, and Village Global. Over the past two years, Lica has specialized in helping e-commerce businesses create marketing videos that strictly adhere to brand guidelines.
Kalyanaraman explained that Lica aimed to develop AI models focused on communication methods, such as video and design. The founders had prior connections with Gamma’s CEO, Lee Grant, as both companies are supported by Accel and South Park Commons. These existing relationships facilitated the acquisition.
“We share a similar vision of making visual communication effortless. While we concentrated on frontier research to ensure accessibility for users, that is only one piece of the puzzle. Gamma has excelled in distribution, reaching over 100 million users. Given the rapid pace of innovation, we decided to combine our strengths,” Kalyanaraman told TechCrunch.
Gamma will continue to focus on presentation creation but, like other design firms, has begun offering image generation capabilities. The company now aims to explore various communication formats through its new research division.
“Presentations remain a core use case for us, but we are exploring how to evolve their appearance, feel, and user engagement. What visuals are possible? How interactive can they be? These questions require a deep focus on the fundamental responsibility of communication. We are excited to invest here because we believe few others are addressing these challenges at this level,” Lee stated.
Lica’s Mehta noted that the new research division will focus on customizing AI model presentation and communication styles for diverse audiences and preferences.
“The goal of a presentation is to convey a major objective. We are building a platform where these objectives can be personalized to deliver high-quality outputs, which users can then adapt for different audiences,” she explained.
While Gamma did not disclose specific products resulting from this acquisition, it emphasized its goal of creating fluid, multimodal presentations and other communication methods.
AI presentation startups have attracted significant investor attention and funding in recent years. Prezent raised $50 million across two rounds; Gamma secured $68 million at a $2.1 billion valuation; and Presentations.ai is also backed by Accel. Consolidation in this sector is emerging: earlier this month, OpenAI acquired NextSlide.
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