Simile raises $200M Series B at $2B valuation to power AI synthetic users

Simile, a startup that simulates real users for market research purposes, has just closed a $200M Series B round of funding — five months after securing a $100M Series A. The company is now valued at $2B, and is already being used by CVS Health to replace focus groups with “synthetic people.” Simile’s founder also developed the Smallville experiment, an initiative that used AI agents to simulate the lives of real people for long periods of time.

Synthetic research is becoming increasingly popular. Compared to focus groups, it’s quick and cheap, but models can predict consumer behavior almost instantly. With $300M raised in just five months, it looks like big companies are prepared to invest in replacing human subjects in product development research.