Gamma acquires Accel-backed design startup Lica
Presentation startup Gamma has acquired Accel-backed design startup Lica to establish a new design research lab. Lica, founded by Priyaa Kalyanaraman and Purvanshi Mehta in 2023, initially developed an app to convert screenshots into presentations and later focused on creating marketing videos for e-commerce sites. The company raised $4 million in 2024 from investors including Accel, South Park Commons, and Village Global. Lica's co-founders will now lead Gamma's new research division, aiming to advance AI models for visual communication. Gamma seeks to expand beyond traditional presentations into more interactive and multimodal communication formats.
The acquisition of Lica by Gamma reflects a growing trend in the AI presentation space, where consolidation is beginning to emerge. Both companies share investors like Accel and South Park Commons, which likely facilitated the deal. This move allows Gamma to integrate Lica's expertise in AI-driven design and video creation, particularly its focus on customizing communication styles for different audiences. Gamma, which already serves over 100 million users, aims to explore new communication modalities beyond its core presentation offering, including more fluid and multimodal formats. This could lead to more sophisticated AI tools for visual content creation across Asia, impacting how businesses in markets like India and Southeast Asia develop marketing and internal communications. The key thing to watch is how Gamma integrates Lica's research into tangible products. While the vision for personalized and interactive communication is compelling, the actual output will determine its impact. The market for AI presentation tools is competitive, with players like Prezent and Presentations.ai also backed by significant funding. OpenAI's recent acquisition of NextSlide further points to an intensifying race for innovation and market share. Asian startups in this sector will need to differentiate themselves sharply as larger players consolidate capabilities.
