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Familiar

YC S26

San Francisco, US · Founded 2026 · 8 employees · 14 known investors

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Familiar builds an AI video-translation and dubbing model that combines voice cloning and full-face lip-sync in a single system, preserving tone, expressions, and background audio, with support for real-time streams. It offers an API, an MCP server for agents, and a self-serve dashboard for creators and platforms translating video into multiple languages.

Also known as Familiar Labs Inc.

AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureDeep TechEnterprise SoftwareMedia & EntertainmentGenerative AIB2BEntertainmentAICanadaAmerica / Canada

Founders & leadership· Y Combinator alumni (S26)

Familiar was founded in 2026 by Mingi Kwon, An Zhu Liu, and Xu Zheng.

MKMingi Kwon
Mingi KwonCo-founder · Chief Technology OfficerMingi Kwon, founder of Familiar, holds a PhD in AI from Yonsei University and previously worked on large-scale text-to-video models at Adobe Research, with published research at major AI conferences. He also ran localized YouTube channels with over 400,000 combined subscribers.
AZAn Zhu Liu
An Zhu LiuCEO & Co-founderAn Zhu Liu attended Stanford before leaving, and has worked as a researcher building voice AI and human avatar cloning models. He is the founder of Familiar.
XZXu Zheng
Xu ZhengCo-founderTheir research background includes numerous publications at AI venues and open-source contributions.
JS
Jibin SongFounder
SS
Sid SharmaFounder
VA
Vatsal AggarwalFounder

Investors · 14

Vela Partnerslisted by Vela PartnersSan Francisco · $100K – $500K
Zero Indexlisted by Zero Index

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Agrolimen Venturesreported

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Andreessen HorowitzreportedMenlo Park · $500K – $50M

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Australian Gulf CapitalreportedAbu Dhabi

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Entrepreneur FirstreportedBengaluru · $1M – $7M

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ESSENCE VCreportedBothell

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Garage CapitalreportedWaterloo

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ProgressionreportedSan Francisco · $100K – $1M

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Script CapitalreportedSan Francisco · $250K – $500K

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SoGal VenturesreportedNew York · $50K – $500K

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The Restore CapitalreportedReynoldsburg

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Ventioneers CapitalreportedOakville

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Related companies · 5

DreamRPDreamRP provides AI-powered tools for creative professionals in entertainment, from independent artists to established studios, prioritizing creator vision over automated content generation.
D-IDD-ID develops an AI video creation platform that produces professional avatar videos and interactive visual agents for enterprise communication and customer experience. The platform serves organizations across industries for training, marketing, customer support, and brand messaging.
GladeGlade develops AI agents and on-device language models for game developers to generate dynamic game environments, characters, and narratives in real time. The company serves game studios seeking to integrate generative AI into their development workflows.
KoyalKoyal develops an AI platform that generates personalized video content from scripts or audio, serving music labels, podcasters, and production companies. The platform uses agentic AI to handle multilingual workflows, lip-sync synchronization, and consistent character rendering across video sequences.
HeartByteHeartByte provides a platform that uses generative AI to help fiction writers produce stories more quickly, enabling both original narratives and works based on existing fictional universes.

Companies working in the same space as Familiar.

Legal entities · 1

corporate structure
Familiar Labs Inc.

In the news

Familiar: Breaking Down Every Language Barrierycombinator.com · Aug 2026

Frequently asked questions

What does Familiar do?
Familiar builds an AI video-translation and dubbing model that combines voice cloning and full-face lip-sync in a single system, preserving tone, expressions, and background audio, with support for real-time streams. It offers an API, an MCP server for agents, and a self-serve dashboard for creators and platforms translating video into multiple languages.
Who founded Familiar?
Familiar was founded by Mingi Kwon, An Zhu Liu, Xu Zheng in 2026.
Who are Familiar's investors?
Familiar's investors include Y Combinator, Vela Partners, Zero Index, Agrolimen Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Australian Gulf Capital, Entrepreneur First, ESSENCE VC and 6 more.
Where is Familiar headquartered?
Familiar is headquartered in San Francisco, US.