Reality Defender

Headquarters

New York, NY, USA

Founded

2021

Employees

Total funding

$33M (Series A, expanded Oct 2024) plus an undisclosed April 2025 strategic investment from BNY, Samsung Next, and Fusion Fund

Stage

Series A

Status

active

Domains

Deepfake detection, Synthetic media detection, AI content authentication

Website

www.realitydefender.com

• FounderBen ColmanCEO and co-founder of Reality Defender. MBA from NYU Stern; BA from Claremont McKenna College. ~15 years in cybersecurity and data science, including leading cybersecurity commercialization at Goldman Sachs and working on Google's partnerships team.
• FounderAli ShahriyariCTO and co-founder of Reality Defender. UCLA alum with 25+ years in software development; previously Director of Product at The AI Foundation and held roles at Originate, and earlier co-founded women's fashion company Thrive (2006).
• FounderGaurav BharajCo-founder of Reality Defender, now serving in an advisory capacity (Advisory Council) after previously serving as Chief of R&D. PhD in Computer Science from Harvard. Previously held leadership roles at Flawless, The AI Foundation (VP Research), and Technicolor.
• FounderAlex LisleChief Technology Officer of Reality Defender, hired in 2025 to succeed co-founder Ali Shahriyari in that role.

• FundDCVCDeep tech VC firm investing in AI-enabled solutions for defense, climate, and industry.
• FundComcastMedia and telecommunications conglomerate; made a strategic investment in Reality Defender's $15M Series A (October 2023) following Reality Defender's participation in the Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs accelerator.
• Fundex/anteVenture capital firm; participated in Reality Defender's $15M Series A (October 2023).
• FundPartnership Fund for New York CityInvestment arm of the Partnership for New York City, a nonprofit business organization backed by 300+ major NYC employers; participated in Reality Defender's $15M Series A (October 2023).
• FundRackhouse Venture CapitalEarly-stage venture capital firm focused on AI/ML applied to real-world problems; participated in Reality Defender's $15M Series A (October 2023).
• FundAI GrantAI-focused equity accelerator for pre-seed/seed AI startups, run day-to-day by Hersh Desai and Lenny Bogdonoff and backed by a $10M commitment from Nat Friedman and Daniel Gross (who remain active public backers); participated in Reality Defender's $15M Series A (October 2023). Relaunched in Fall 2022 from an earlier (2017) non-dilutive open-source AI research grant program of the same name.
• FundIlluminate FinancialFintech and enterprise-AI focused venture capital firm backing early-stage companies at the center of financial services infrastructure; led the $33M expansion of Reality Defender's Series A in October 2024.
• FundBooz Allen VenturesCorporate venture capital arm of Booz Allen Hamilton backing early-stage dual-use startups in AI, cybersecurity, and defense tech; participated in Reality Defender's expanded $33M Series A (October 2024) and Scout AI's funding round (April 2025).
• FundIBM VenturesCorporate venture arm of IBM; participated in Reality Defender's expanded $33M Series A (October 2024).
• FundJefferies Family OfficeInternal single-family office of Jefferies Financial Group, managing the personal wealth/investments of the firm's senior leadership; participated in Reality Defender's expanded $33M Series A (October 2024).
• FundAccenture VenturesGlobal consulting and technology services company; participated in Reality Defender's expanded $33M Series A (October 2024) as a strategic investor. Distinct from the already-tracked Accenture Federal Services subsidiary.
• FundBNYGlobal financial services company; participated in Reality Defender's April 2025 strategic investment round alongside Samsung Next and Fusion Fund.
• FundSamsung NextSamsung's corporate venture and innovation arm; participated in Reality Defender's April 2025 strategic investment round.
• FundFusion FundPalo Alto-based venture capital firm founded in 2015 by Lu Zhang, investing pre-seed through Series A in deep-tech and data-moat startups across healthcare, enterprise AI, and industrial automation; participated in Reality Defender's April 2025 strategic investment round.

Approximate ownership by holder. Indexed holders link to their records.

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What does Reality Defender do?

Reality Defender is a deepfake and synthetic-media detection platform serving enterprises, government agencies, and financial institutions. Founded in 2021 by Ben Colman (CEO), Ali Shahriyari (CTO), and Gaurav Bharaj (Chief of R&D), and a Y Combinator (W22) alum, the company raised a $15M Series A in October 2023 led by DCVC with Comcast, ex/ante, Partnership Fund for New York City, Rackhouse Venture Capital, and AI Grant (Nat Friedman & Daniel Gross) participating, later expanded to $33M in October 2024 led by Illuminate Financial with Booz Allen Ventures, IBM Ventures, Jefferies Family Office, and Accenture joining. In April 2025 the company took a further, undisclosed strategic investment from BNY, Samsung Next, and Fusion Fund. In July 2026, Reality Defender entered a partnership with Zignal Labs combining Zignal's protective-intelligence platform with Reality Defender's detection technology, sold via Carahsoft to higher-education and major-event security customers.

Where is Reality Defender headquartered?

Reality Defender is headquartered in New York, NY, USA and was founded in 2021.

How much funding has Reality Defender raised?

Reality Defender has raised $33M (Series A, expanded Oct 2024) plus an undisclosed April 2025 strategic investment from BNY, Samsung Next, and Fusion Fund in disclosed funding.

What does Reality Defender specialize in?

Reality Defender works across Deepfake detection, Synthetic media detection, AI content authentication.

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