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Leslie Benzies has been busy of late, starting companies across Scotland and the rest of the world. In his latest move, he’s also invested a "six figure" sum into next-gen audio outfit Krotos.
Benzies, formerly the president of Rockstar North, lead a round of angel investment on the "high six figures" deal, which was provided by Old College Capital, the venture investment arm of the University of Edinburgh.
The Edinburgh-based audio firm are best known for their ‘Dehumaniser’, a voice processor which produces monster sounds for television, video games and film and counts Disney and Warner Brothers among its clients, with previous work on 2016’s Doom. The company are planning to use this investment to double in size, with a target headcount of 20, and also to work on its suite of Pro Audio tools, reaching consumer markets in "growth areas such as virtual reality and gaming communication."
Speaking of the company’s future in a press release, founder Orfeas Boteas said: “Our tools will finally free audio designers, creatives and musicians from outdated workflows and will allow them to focus on creativity. The next few years will open up exciting possibilities for new media, as audio is now more challenging than ever with Virtual Reality, Augmented reality and Mixed reality. Video games and films are our core market but there is massive potential in VR and that will be an important focus for us moving forward.”
“The support we have received from the technology and business community in Scotland over the last four years has been fantastic. It’s a great place to start a tech business and I’m delighted that we will be able to build a bigger presence in Edinburgh following the investment."
Benzies himself adds: “Orfeas understands the potential of bringing technology and creativity together, and his vision for the future of audio tools resonated with me. I look forward to working with such a talented and driven team.”
Benzies will be joining the Krotos board as a result of the investment.
