Google Acquires AI Avatar Startup

Google has acquired artificial intelligence avatar startup Alter for $100 million, TechCrunch reports.

The deal was reportedly closed two months ago, but it was not publicly disclosed. Some top Alter executives have updated their LinkedIn profiles and indicated they had joined Google without mentioning the deal itself.

A Google spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch that the company had bought Alter, but he declined to comment on the terms of the deal.

According to TechCrunch, Google hopes to use Alter to improve and expand its content offerings, as well as increase competition with TikTok.

Alter is headquartered in the Czech Republic and the US. The startup was founded in 2017 under the name Facemoji.

The company was previously known as Facemoji, then it became Alter. It is headquartered in the Czech Republic and the US.

The platform offers plug-and-play technology to help game and app developers add avatar systems to their software. Early on, the startup received seed funding of $3 million from Play Ventures, Roosh Ventures, and Twitter.