Deep Render and the EIC Accelerator: AI Video Compression Sold
Deep Render, founded in London in 2018, developed video and image compression based on neural networks rather than conventional hand-designed codecs. It was selected in the EIC Accelerator's October 2022 cut-off for DeepVid, described in the award list as the "development, demonstration and validation of AI-based video compression in accordance with the human visual system". No project for Deep Render appears on CORDIS, the EU's register of funded projects, so the grant amount and results are not public.
On 30 October 2025 InterDigital, a US company that develops and licenses video and wireless technology, announced it had acquired Deep Render, adding its "patent portfolio in AI-based video coding" and bringing its team into InterDigital's Video Lab. Terms were not disclosed. Deep Render's final accounts before the sale, to 30 September 2025, show net liabilities of £2,599,202 and cash of £87,903, against net liabilities of £446,850 nine months earlier, according to Companies House.
Company file
- Legal entity
- Deep Render Ltd, 10990604, London
- Director signing 2025 accounts
- C. Besenbruch
- Technology
- Neural network video and image codecs
- Acquirer
- InterDigital, Inc.
- Share premium raised
- £6.76M
- EIC project
- DeepVid, no CORDIS record
- EIC funding
- Grant only
Where Deep Render Stands Now
Deep Render's website now leads to InterDigital's Video Lab page. InterDigital's chief executive Liren Chen said the transaction "deepens our talent pool in AI and video and extends InterDigital's leadership in the efficient delivery of high-quality video". Deep Render changed its financial year to end on 30 September 2025, and those accounts were signed on 22 October 2025, a week before the acquisition was announced.
The record
From London AI codec start-up to InterDigital's video lab
Deep Render was selected for EIC funding in the October 2022 round. In October 2025 InterDigital bought it, when the company's balance sheet showed net liabilities of £2.6M. No EU project record exists.
- Oct 2017Company incorporatedLondon; founded as a business in 2018
- Oct 2022EIC Accelerator cut-offDeepVidgrant only
- Dec 2024Year-end accountsNet liabilities £0.45M
- Sep 2025Final accounts before saleNet liabilities £2.60M; cash £87,903
- 30 Oct 2025AcquiredInterDigital; team joins its Video Lab
Companies House and InterDigital.
"Together we are uniting decades of video research with cutting-edge AI to drive the next generation of compression technologies."
Sebastjan Cizel, head of engineering, Deep Render, October 2025The Technology: Codecs That Learn
Video codecs decide how to squeeze moving images into fewer bits. Deep Render trained neural networks to do the compression end to end, aiming to match how people actually perceive video so that files shrink without visible loss.
The accounts
Deep Render's net liabilities
Net liabilities grew almost sixfold in the nine months before the sale. Deep Render did not publish a profit and loss account under the small-company rules.
Companies House, Deep Render Ltd accounts to 30 September 2025. Values in £ millions.
What the EIC Award Promised, and What the Record Shows
The award promised development, demonstration and validation of AI-based video compression. With no CORDIS project, there is no public record of how much Deep Render received, which milestones it reached or what the money paid for. The only public outcome is the patents and team that InterDigital bought.
- AI codec developmentUnverifiedNo project report.
- Commercial productUnverifiedNo sales figures published.
- EU project reportingMissingNo CORDIS entry.
- Independent companyEndedSold to InterDigital.
The Money
Deep Render had raised £6.76 million in share premium by the end of 2024 and raised no new share capital in 2025. Its accumulated losses grew from £7.21 million to £9.36 million in the nine months to September 2025, a loss of £2.15 million. By September 2025 its short-term creditors of £3.16 million far exceeded its current assets, leaving net current liabilities of £2.74 million. The price InterDigital paid, whether the company was sold for more or less than investors had put in, and any EU funds received are not public.
The cash
Cash at bank before the acquisition
Cash fell from £294,191 at the end of 2024 to £87,903 at the end of September 2025. The company had an average of 27 employees in the final period.
Companies House, Deep Render Ltd accounts. Values in £ thousands.
What Cannot Be Checked
Questions for the EIC
How much Deep Render received from the EIC or its UK replacement, what the grant delivered, why there is no project record, and what InterDigital paid are not public.
Why Europe Should Care
Codec patents are licensed to device makers and streaming services, which is InterDigital's business. The EIC selected a UK start-up in this field; its patents and team now belong to a US licensing company. The public cannot see what, if anything, European funding contributed.
What the award promised
Development, demonstration and validation of AI video compression based on human perception.
What the record shows
No EU project record, net liabilities of £2.6 million and a sale of patents and staff to InterDigital.
The Verdict
Sold with net liabilities
Deep Render ended as an acquisition by a US patent licensor at a time its liabilities exceeded its assets. What the EIC award achieved cannot be established.
Deep Render, InterDigital and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.
Industry
Digital and computingDigital media
- Focus
- Video software
- Technologies
- Artificial intelligence
- Keywords
- Video compression
- Neural codecs
- Image compression