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Brud has raised $100K across 1 funding round.
Key people at Brud.
Brud has raised $100K in total across 1 funding round.
Brud is a technology company headquartered in Los Angeles, California that creates virtual humans and provides a comprehensive software platform for digital storytelling and decentralized character ownership. Originally operating as Miquela Media, the firm leverages artificial intelligence, robotics, and immersive media to serve the broader entertainment, social media, fashion, and gaming sectors. Before its acquisition, the organization operated with a lean team of fewer than 25 employees, generated under five million dollars in annual revenue, and successfully secured over 25 million dollars in total venture funding. In October 2021, the business was acquired by prominent blockchain technology developer Dapper Labs to further develop community technologies that transition independent creators into the emerging Web3 digital ecosystem. The enterprise was founded in 2014 by technology entrepreneur Isaac Bratzel to put creative control directly into the hands of fans and creators.
Brud has raised $100K in total across 1 funding round.
Brud's investors include Abstract Ventures, CVentures, Foundation Capital, Kombo Ventures, Long Journey Ventures, Marcy Venture Partners, Pantera Capital, Propel Venture Partners, Mo El-Bibany, Rachel Zoe.
Brud has raised $100K across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $100K Seed in April 2017.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1, 2017 | $100K Seed | — | Abstract Ventures, Cventures, Foundation Capital, Kombo Ventures, Long Journey Ventures, Marcy Venture Partners, Pantera Capital, Propel Venture Partners, MO EL Bibany, Rachel ZOE | Announced |
Key people at Brud.
Brud is a Los Angeles-based technology company founded in 2014 that creates virtual humans and digital characters, such as the famous influencer Lil Miquela, to enable storytelling, character ownership, and narrative experiences in the shift to Web 3.0.[1][3] It builds a platform for community-powered technologies that facilitate story and world-building, blending AI, robotics, and media to produce complex social media personas with interwoven backstories.[1][2][3][4] Brud serves creators, brands, and sectors in entertainment, culture, and emerging digital ecosystems, solving the problem of traditional copyright limitations by enabling decentralized ownership and interactive narratives.[1][4] The company raised $25.48M before being acquired by Dapper Labs in October 2021, marking strong early growth in the virtual influencer space.[1]
Brud was founded in 2014 by Trevor McFedries and Sara DeCoucis in Los Angeles, California, initially operating as Miquela Media before rebranding.[1][3] The idea emerged from experimenting with AI and robotics to craft lifelike digital characters for social media, with Lil Miquela as the flagship creation—a virtual influencer with a fabricated backstory who posts regularly and has amassed millions of followers.[3] Early traction came from Lil Miquela's viral rise, attracting Silicon Valley investment and recognition, such as McFedries being named among influencers shaping global fashion in 2018.[3] This pivotal moment humanized the tech by blending robotics personas with cultural storytelling, evolving Brud's focus toward Web 3.0 ecosystems for interconnected character narratives.[1][3][4]
Brud rides the wave of virtual influencers and the metaverse boom, capitalizing on AI advancements and Web 3.0's push for user-owned digital assets amid rising demand for immersive storytelling.[1][4] Timing aligns with the 2021 NFT and blockchain hype, when virtual personas like Lil Miquela proved monetizable through brand deals and social engagement, influencing how entertainment transitions from centralized media to decentralized platforms.[1][3] Market forces like social media's evolution and metaverse growth favor Brud, as it pioneers narrative tools that empower communities over traditional studios, shaping the ecosystem by normalizing AI characters as cultural influencers.[2][4]
Under Dapper Labs since 2021, Brud is poised to expand its platform into broader Web 3.0 applications, leveraging blockchain for scalable virtual worlds and NFT-based character ownership.[1][4] Trends like AI realism, metaverse adoption, and creator economies will propel growth, potentially evolving Brud's influence toward leading decentralized entertainment networks. As virtual humans like Lil Miquela continue disrupting storytelling, Brud exemplifies how AI-crafted personas are redefining culture from Los Angeles garages to global digital frontiers.[1][3]
