Hedra, the app used to make talking baby podcasts, raises $32M from a16z

People are using AI video generation tools to contribute to an unexpected new viral trend: podcasts featuring AI-generated talking babies. And one of the companies helping artists do this is Hedra. The startup, launched in 2023, offers a web-based video generation and editing suite powered by its Character-3 model, which lets users make videos with an AI-generated character as the focus, as well as transfer styles across images and audio. This is what people are using to make podcast videos like this one, in which an AI-generated dog talks about what it’s like to live with a new baby in the house. We’re not sure how much Hedra has benefited from this trend, but it’s receiving ample investor attention nevertheless: the company on Thursday said it has raised $32 million in a Series A funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz’s Infrastructure fund. Its previous investors are participating in the round, and a16z’s Matt Bornstein will join the startup’s board. Michael Lingelbach, the com ... Read full article.