Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s AI studio Deep Voodoo said Wednesday that it has secured a $20 million in an investment round led by Connect Ventures. The South Park creators’ startup said it will use the capital to accelerate its development of deep-fake technology, VFX services and original synthetic media projects.
Connect Ventures is an investment partnership between CAA and venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates and represents the first outside capital raise for Deep Voodoo, which was previously funded by Parker and Stone’s entertainment company Park County.
Parker and Stone originally began building out their deep fake technology in early 2020, assembling a team of artists for a feature film they had developed. When the film was suspended amid the Covid shutdown, they pivoted to building out those deep-fake tools.
Deep Voodoo has since begun offering its face-swapping visual effects to artists, producers, and creators worldwide.
“We stumbled upon this amazing technology and ended up recruiting the best deep fake artists in the world,” Stone said in a release today announcing the raise. “We are psyched to share their brilliance with the Hollywood creative community.”
“Deep Voodoo has established itself as a leading synthetic media technology platform that has already impacted traditional entertainment. Deep Voodoo uses artificial intelligence to support productions in innovative ways that are faster and more cost-effective than traditional VFX technology,” said Michael Blank of Connect Ventures. “Connect Ventures is thrilled to lead the investment in Deep Voodoo, providing unique access to CAA and NEA’s resources and relationships.”
Connect Ventures’ investments to date include in Spire Animation, FightCamp, Blacktag, Unless, OpenSea, Pair Eyewear, Candy Digital, Jomboy Media, Tally Labs and Mojito among others.