EXCLUSIVE: Controversial AI platform Twinnin, which “bridges the gap between artificial intelligence and humans,” is targeting at least $3M via its first seed funding round, leading to a $25M post-money valuation.

The film and TV industry app, which is backed by Google and Nvidia and aims to “protect and monetise human identity in the age of artificial intelligence,” clones an actors face, creating a likeness that can then be sold on to studios or brands for use in shows, movies or ads. Actors can sign up for $14.99 per year to post their digital likeness on the app and receive callouts. Studios or brands can subscribe to a number of different tiers, with the most expensive costing $1,200 per month.

As it fires the starting gun on its debut funding round, Twinnin said it has already been promised inbound funding of $3M and now has 2,000 signed-up twins. It has spent the past few weeks holding stakeholder events and meetings, some with those on the more skeptical end of the AI spectrum.

The $3M has been pledged as part of a seed funding round that has interest from an unnamed “prospective lead investor” and “angels including notable JP Morgan C Suite,” according to Twinnin. The outfit said it is “letting the wider market respond before committing to a lead.” Twinnin pegged its post-money valuation at $25M. While the AI likeness market is nascent, it compared itself in size and scope to ElevenLabs, the synthetic-voice infrastructure company that raised seed at $12M post-money in 2022. “ElevenLabs proved the trajectory,” said Twinnin founder Katrien Grobler. “What it didn’t prove is that voice was the only category. Face is bigger. And it is open.”

The funding will be spent on tech, team and scale. Twinnin anticipates a subsequent Series A funding round in 12-14 months if it hits revenue and KPI targets.

Since launch, Twinnin said its number of subscribers has doubled weekly. The app has proven controversial, as we revealed last month. Prior to launch, one agency was criticized for promoting Twinnin to the parents of those under the age of 18. The UK’s Agents of Young Performers Association subsequently told us it “raises serious ethical questions around the consent of a minor.”

Twinnin, which is owned by tech firm AI Kat, has since launch held events and had meetings with the likes of actors union Equity and casting platform Spotlight. “Equity is happy to speak with AI companies who seek to work with performers in an ethical way which centres consent, transparency and fair pay. However, Equity does not endorse any particular platform,” an Equity spokeswoman recently told us after the union’s meeting with Twinnin.

Upon today’s funding round, Grobler said her “vision is that by 2030, not all humans in AI content are synthetic, which is where things are heading today, but that 50% are real original humans, licensed digital twins from Twinnin.”