Heaptalk, Jakarta — Indonesia’s AI startup for virtual creators, Bythen, secures US$5 million in seed funding, approximately Rp81.5 billion. The funding round was led by Japan-based Vector Inc. and Skystar Capital, with additional support from East Ventures, BEENEXT, OSK, AppWorks, and prominent angel investors like Tokopedia’s Co-founder William Tanuwijaya, and Pinkfong’s CO-founder Ryan Lee.
With the newly acquired funds, this AI startup plans to expand its services globally and onboard 15,000 virtual influencers from sectors like Web3 and gaming by 2025. The company also intends to launch a range of original intellectual property (IP) and collaborate with renowned international IP owners. With these strategic plans, the startup aims to elevate the $325 billion global creator economy, opening up new possibilities for over 200 million creators worldwide.
Ryo Umezawa, Vice President of Vector Inc., conveyed, “We are proud to support Bythen’s innovative approach to empowering creators. Vector will leverage its global network to assist Bythen in building strategic partnerships in Japan and other international markets.”
Boosts creator ability with an AI-driven approach
Launched in 2024, Bythen empowers users to create unique digital characters, known as “Bytes,” for use as virtual creators. Bythen’s founding team comprises seasoned entrepreneurs Kevin Mintaraga, Erick Saputra, Ferry Dianto, Nathalia Isadora, and William Nagata. These founders bring extensive experience, having previously established companies such as Magnivate, which was acquired by WPP in 2012, and Bridestory, which was acquired by Tokopedia in 2019. They aim to address the growing preference among younger users for more private and expressive digital identities independent of physical attributes.
The platform enables content creation, live streaming, and the transformation of digital avatars into AI-driven digital twins. This offers users new opportunities to enhance their online presence and monetize their creations. Bythen operates on a community-centric revenue-sharing model, fostering an ecosystem that supports collective growth and success among its creators.
Bythen facilitates continuous, automated content production for various social media platforms. Users can deploy their Bytes for video calls on platforms like Zoom or Google Meet and conduct live streams—manually or automatically—on YouTube and Twitch. Additionally, Bythen provides AI-powered tools to generate personalized content, enhancing its users’ digital influence.
“Bythen is designed to unlock the potential of creators. Our accessible platform and revenue-sharing model establish an ecosystem where anyone can thrive as a virtual creator,” stated Bythen’s Co-founder, Kevin Mintaraga.
