Reality Defender detects deepfakes and other AI-generated media in audio, video and images, and identifies AI callers. It is for organisations where a faked voice, face or document could sway an important decision, such as banks taking calls from customers, companies holding virtual meetings, and teams checking new accounts or monitoring their brand online.
The problem it solves is trust in media at the moment a decision is made. When a caller, a meeting participant or an uploaded file may be synthetic, Reality Defender gives the people and systems involved a way to check before they act.
At A Glance
| Vendor | Reality Defender |
|---|---|
| Category | Deepfake and AI-generated media detection |
| Deployment | Cloud-based web platform and API, with several deployment options |
| Founded | 2021, New York City |
| Funding | Venture backed, Series A |
| Market classification | Biometric Platforms; also Trust & Safety |
What Reality Defender Does
Generative AI makes it cheap to clone a voice, swap a face in a video or produce a convincing fake image. The risk is greatest where a person acts on what they see or hear: an agent approving a payment over the phone, an employee following instructions in a video call, or an analyst verifying an identity document. Reality Defender aims to bring “deepfake intelligence to critical decisions” at those moments.
Its work falls into three areas: exposing deepfakes in files, identifying AI callers, and embedding detection inside other software. In each case the aim is to help teams decide what to verify, escalate or route elsewhere.
Products
RealScan
RealScan is a browser-based tool for investigating suspicious files. Fraud, trust and safety or communications teams upload audio, video or images and receive findings without any integration work, which suits one-off reviews and investigations.
RealAPI
Developers use RealAPI to submit files from their own applications and receive structured findings in return, for example as part of account opening or content moderation. It is a REST API with an SDK. Documented endpoints cover media upload through an AWS presigned URL, upload by social media URL, listing and detail views of submitted media, and user feedback on results.
RealCall
RealCall is aimed at contact centres facing audio deepfake fraud. Its audio models check live and recorded speech for signs of synthesis or editing, both in the IVR and during calls with agents, so suspicious callers can be flagged before a transaction goes ahead.
RealMeeting
RealMeeting assesses the audio and video of participants during virtual meetings. It protects employees from real-time deepfake impersonation, for instance a fake executive joining a call to request a transfer.
How It Works
Reality Defender runs as a cloud-based web platform with a matching API, built on a patented multi-model approach. Rather than relying on a single detector, it trains an ensemble of deep learning models, each focused on its own detection method, and combines their results. Several deployment options are available to suit different organisations.
| Component | What it does |
|---|---|
| API and SDK | The Platform REST API can be called directly, though the SDK, available in several programming languages, is recommended for most cases. |
| Results | Findings come back as scores and supporting detail that can flow into the customer’s review and escalation tools, or be used to route a call or alert a meeting participant. |
Company Background
| Founded | 2021, by Ben Colman, Ali Shahriyari and Gaurav Bharaj |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | New York City |
| Leadership | Ben Colman (Co-Founder and CEO), Milos Fulton (COO), Alex Lisle (CTO) and Brian Levin (CRO) |
| Funding | $15 million Series A led by DCVC in 2023, later expanded to $33 million in a round led by Illuminate Financial, with Booz Allen Ventures, IBM Ventures, the Jefferies Family Office and Accenture joining, and The Partnership Fund for New York City and Y Combinator taking part |
| Recognition | Included in Gartner’s Emerging Market Quadrant for Deepfake Detection: Startup Vendors (June 2026); RSA Conference Innovation Sandbox award (April 2025) |
Note: This overview is compiled from Reality Defender’s publicly available information as of 3 November 2026. It is provided for information only. NHI Mgmt Group does not endorse any vendor, and nothing on this page represents the opinions of NHI Mgmt Group.