Gamma acquires Accel-backed design startup Lica

In a strategic move to bolster its internal innovation capabilities, presentation platform Gamma has acquired Lica, an Accel-backed design startup. The acquisition marks a significant step for Gamma as it establishes a dedicated research laboratory aimed at redefining the future of visual communication.

A Strategic Consolidation

Lica, which was founded in 2023 by Priyaa Kalyanaraman and Purvanshi Mehta, gained industry attention for its technology that converts screenshots and recordings into polished project presentations and marketing videos. The startup successfully raised $4 million from prominent investors, including Accel, South Park Commons, and Village Global.

The acquisition brings the Lica co-founders into the Gamma fold, where they will spearhead the company’s new research division. The deal was facilitated by existing professional ties; both companies shared common investors, and the founders were already well-acquainted with Gamma CEO Grant Lee.

"We have a very similar North Star vision of wanting to make visual communication easy. We focused a lot on frontier research and making sure that became accessible to users. But that’s just one part of the solution. Gamma had focused a lot on building distribution, taking the application to 100 million-plus users. Given how fast things are moving, we decided to join forces," said Kalyanaraman.

Expanding the Boundaries of Presentation

While Gamma has cemented its reputation as a leader in the presentation space—boasting a valuation of $2.1 billion following a $68 million funding round—the company is now looking beyond traditional slide decks. By integrating Lica’s expertise, Gamma aims to explore how AI can create more fluid, interactive, and multimodal communication formats.

Key Objectives for the New Research Lab:

• Personalization: Developing AI models that adapt presentation styles to specific audiences and individual tastes.
• Multimodal Communication: Moving beyond static slides to create more dynamic, interactive visual experiences.
• Frontier Research: Investing in deep-level design science that is currently absent in the broader market.

CEO Grant Lee emphasized that the goal is to fundamentally rethink how users engage with information. "Presentations for us are today a core use case, but how do we expand what presentations look and feel like, and how do people engage with them in the future? What visuals are possible? How interactive are they?" Lee noted.

The AI Presentation Arms Race

The acquisition of Lica is part of a broader trend of consolidation within the AI-driven presentation sector. As startups race to capture the market, investor interest remains high. Notable players in this space include Prezent, which recently secured $50 million across two rounds, and Presentations.ai.

The industry is clearly entering a phase of maturation, evidenced by recent moves such as OpenAI’s acquisition of NextSlide. For Gamma, the addition of Lica’s research-heavy DNA provides a competitive edge, allowing the company to move from a standard presentation tool to a comprehensive platform for intelligent, personalized communication.

While specific product roadmaps remain under wraps, the message from Gamma is clear: the future of presentations will be defined by how effectively AI can bridge the gap between complex data and human-centric storytelling.