Big B to go digital as Amitabh Bachchan partners with generative AI firm

Iconic Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan has partnered with Hyderabad-based Ikonz Studios, which helps artists and creators to navigate different means to monetisation and upscale their intellectual property, as a strategic partner to enter the realm of artificial intelligence.

A top company official said the company is looking to raise over $10 million in a Series A round of funding.

“Amitabh Bachchan has come on board as a strategic partner in the company. Since he is part of our company, we will be exclusively building multiple digital IPs based on his attributes,” Abinav Varma Kalidindi, the founder and CEO of the company, told Economic Times

“We are potentially raising over $10 million in Series A round. We are in advanced stages of due diligence with numerous investors globally,” he added.

“I am intrigued with the way technology is evolving and the pace at which new innovations are coming up worldwide, one such being generative AI. I am happy to be a part of such an amazing futuristic world of generative AI and have therefore partnered with Abinav-promoted Ikonz. Together we shall embark on this new metaverse world,” Bachchan told Bollywood Hungama.

The prospective Series A funding round will help the company expand its team globally, develop new AI tools for the entertainment industry, and aggregate entertainment IPs.

Ikonz has already raised seed funding from marquee investors like Village Global, Woodstock Fund, and Polygon Studios. Village Global is an early stage venture capital fund backed by renowned entrepreneurs like Bill Gates (Microsoft), Jeff Bezos (Amazon), and Mark Zuckerberg (Meta), among others.

Founded in August 2021, Ikonz is backed by actor-investor Rana Daggubati and Anthill Ventures' founder Prasad Vanga.

Stay tuned to this space for more updates!