About Brud
Brud is a Media & Entertainment company based in Los Angeles (United States) founded in 2014 by Sara DeCou and Trevor McFedries, and was acquired by Dapper Labs in October 2021. Virtual avatars are developed through AI for influencer marketing. It operates in the Media & Entertainment and Technology sectors. Brud has raised $131 million across 2 funding rounds from investors including Dapper Labs, Spark Capital and Sequoia Capital. The company was acqui-hired. Its focus areas include Enterprise Applications, MarketingTech, Influencer Marketing and Virtual Influencer. Its competitors include Influential, Mavely and CreatorIQ; 3 of its 3 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
Brud was founded in 2014 in Los Angeles, United States, focusing on software development in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics. Virtual avatars are created by the company for influencer marketing purposes. The project Lil Miquela, also known as Miquela Sousa, serves as a virtual celebrity with over one million Instagram followers. Clientele includes brands such as Prada, Chanel, Proenza Schouler, Supreme, and Vetements.
- Headquarters Los Angeles, United States
- Founders Sara DeCou, Trevor McFedries
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsMedia & EntertainmentTechnology
- Emailβ’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’
- Website brud.fyi
- Social LinkedIn
- Acquired by Dapper Labs (Oct 2021)
- Total Equity Funding$131M (USD)
in 2 rounds
- Latest Funding Round$125M (USD), Series B
Jan 2019
- InvestorsDapper Labs
& 3 more
- Acquired byDapper Labs
(Oct 2021)
Funding Insights of Brud
Brud has successfully raised a total of $131M across 2 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Series B round of $125 million completed in January 2019. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $131M
- Total Rounds 2
- Last Round Series B β $125M
- First Round $6M
(Apr 2018)
- Investors Count 3
All 2 funding rounds of Brud with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2019 | $125M | Series B | β | Spark Capital | β |
| Apr 2018 | $6M | Series A | β | Sequoia Capital, BoxGroup | β |
4 investors in total: 4 institutional.
Investors in Brud
Brud has secured backing from 4 investors, including venture fund and institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Dapper Labs, Spark Capital and Sequoia Capital.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Spark Capital is engaged in venture capital investments. | sparkcapital.com | San Francisco, United States | ||
Sequoia Capital is engaged in venture capital investments. | 1972 | sequoiacap.com | ||
Investing in early-stage tech companies and ideas. | boxgroup.com | |||
Blockchain-based games developer for PC and console | 2018 | dapperlabs.com | Vancouver, Canada |
Investor details for Brud
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
People of Brud
2 people are tracked at Brud (2 in leadership).
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Sara DeCou | Co-Founder | Leadership |
Trevor McFedries | Co-Founder | Leadership |
Complete people profiles for Brud
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
- Team structure
- Board tenure
- Professional contacts
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of Brud
4 dated milestones of Brud across 7 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Brud is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $6.0M.
- Funding Latest funding round, Series B, of $125.0M.
- Exit Acquired by Dapper Labs.
Competitors of Brud
Brud has 3 listed competitors in our database, 3 of them funded. They include Influential, Mavely and CreatorIQ.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| influential.co | 2014 | Las Vegas, United States | $18.65M | 249 | Influencer marketing platform is provided for social media content monetization. | |
| joinmavely.com | 2018 | Chicago, United States | $1M | Influencer marketing platform for enterprises | ||
| creatoriq.com | 2014 | Los Angeles, United States | $79M | 187 | Influencer marketing platform for enterprises |
Detailed competitors of Brud
The full competitor set, operating metrics and side-by-side benchmarks require an active premium plan.
- Full competitor set
- Operating metrics
- Benchmarks
- Competitive positioning
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Top companies in Advertising & Marketing Tech
3 companies that operate in the same segment as Brud (Advertising & Marketing Tech) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AI-powered platform manages marketing creatives and customer journeys. | 1982 | San Jose, California, United States | USD 23.77 B | 30,710 | ||
Ad verification solutions are delivered for digital media campaigns. | 2008 | New York, New York, United States | USD 396.5 M | USD 748.29 M | 1,200 | |
Native advertising solutions are delivered via a cloud-based content platform. | 2006 | New York, New York, United States | USD 403.72 M | USD 1.3 B | 1,800 |
Unlock complete access to The Company Check
Get unrestricted viewing across everything we track β from companies and brands to investors, funding rounds, acquisitions, financials, and more.
- Unlimited viewing on all profiles Companies, investors, financials, funding, acquisitions & directors
- Full access to every database India & global coverage, advanced filters and rich profile details
- Always-on access from your team account Single premium plan for everything you see on the portal
Related news about Brud
Complete news archive for Brud
Full article history, source details, and older brand coverage require an active premium plan.
- Full article archive
- Source and publication date
- Older coverage
- Brand-specific news history
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Frequently Asked Questions about Brud
Brud was founded in 2014 and raised its 1st funding round 4 years after it was founded.
Brud is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States. It is registered at Los Angeles, California, United States.
Brud is a funded company, having raised a total of $131M across 2 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Series A of $6M, raised on Apr 2018.
Brud was founded in 2014 in Los Angeles, United States, focusing on software development in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics. Virtual avatars are created by the company for influencer marketing purposes. The project Lil Miquela, also known as Miquela Sousa, serves as a virtual celebrity with over one million Instagram followers. Clientele includes brands such as Prada, Chanel, Proenza Schouler, Supreme, and Vetements.
Brud's top competitors include CreatorIQ, Mavely and Influential.
Brud has 4 investors. Key investors include Dapper Labs, Spark Capital, Sequoia Capital, and BoxGroup.
Yes. Brud was acquired by Dapper Labs in October 2021.

