Bythen raises US$5 mil in seed funding to democratize virtual influencers

• Aims to debut original & collaborative IP collections with leading IP owners
• Funding will go towards a global launch, targeting 15,000 virtual influencers 

Bythen, the pioneering platform that creates unique, ownable digital characters to empower virtual creators, has announced it has raised US$5 million (RM22.5 million) in a seed financing round led by Vector Inc. and Skystar Capital, with participation from East Ventures, BEENEXT, OSK, and AppWorks. Notable angel investors, including William Tanuwijaya, co-founder of Tokopedia, and Ryan Lee, co-founder of Pinkfong Company, also took part in the round.

With this funding, Bythen is poised for a global launch and aims to onboard 15,000 virtual influencers this year across diverse sectors, including Web3, gaming, and other popular verticals. In the coming months, the company will unveil its first original IP collection alongside collaboration collections with prominent international IP owners.

Founded in 2024, Bythen enables users to create content, livestream, and transform personalised characters into AI-powered digital twins called “Bytes”, unlocking new opportunities to enhance their online presence and monetise their influence. The platform democratises access for users worldwide to become virtual influencers, leveraging AI-powered content generation to facilitate 24/7 engagement across various social media platforms.

Operating on a revenue-sharing model, Bythen channels earnings back to its creator community, fostering an ecosystem that shares growth and success globally.

According to Bythen, the platform empowers users to employ their Bytes as unique social media representations, enabling autonomous content creation and video replies across multiple platforms to expand their influence and unlock monetisation opportunities. Users can also use their Bytes for video calls on platforms like Zoom or Google Meet, as well as manual or autonomous livestreaming on platforms such as YouTube and Twitch. Through its AI-powered tools, users can create and download customised content featuring their Bytes to elevate their digital presence and monetise their reach.

Bythen’s founding team has been co-founding and collaborating for the past 16 years, having built Magnivate (acquired by WPP in 2012) and Bridestory (acquired by Tokopedia in 2019). The team includes long-time collaborators Kevin Mintaraga, Erick Saputra, Ferry Dianto, and Nathalia Isadora, joined by William Nagata, who leads business development following leadership roles at Shopee and a leading brand aggregator in Indonesia.

The team established Bythen in response to a significant market shift towards pseudonymous social media personas and changing values among younger users, including a preference for privacy, freedom of expression, and the ability to craft digital identities distinct from physical attributes. These evolving preferences intersect with the rapidly expanding global creator economy, valued at US$325 billion (RM1.4 trillion) and encompassing over 200 million content creators—a space that Bythen aims to redefine.

“Bythen is all about amplifying creators’ potential. By providing an accessible platform and a revenue-sharing model, we’re cultivating an environment where anyone can thrive as a virtual creator,” said Kevin Mintaraga, co-founder of Bythen and former CMO of Tokopedia.

“Vector Inc. is proud to support a visionary serial entrepreneur dedicated to empowering creators and driving innovation. Through our extensive expertise and global network, we are committed to assisting Bythen in acquiring high-value content and building strategic partnerships, both in Japan and international markets,” said Ryo Umezawa, vice president of Vector Inc.