Rapport + Aquifer Motion: A New Chapter for Real-Time Avatars
For years, AI avatars have been limited to facial expressions and basic lip sync. That changes today.
We are excited to share that Rapport has acquired Aquifer Motion, the animation platform trusted by some of the world’s top entertainment brands.
With Aquifer’s full-body performance and cinematic camera tools joining Rapport’s real-time facial animation, avatars can now move, gesture, and tell stories in ways that feel alive.
Why this matters
Until now, most AI avatars have been limited to facial expressions and basic lip sync. Rapport has been leading the way in real-time facial and full-body animation, and now with Aquifer’s full-body performance and cinematic camera tools, we are unlocking something new:
Facial and full-body animation in real time
Cinematic-quality camera movement and scene direction
Avatars that do not just look human, but feel human
In short, avatars are becoming more engaging, more expressive, and easier to create than ever before.
“The acquisition of Aquifer Motion takes Rapport from being a leader in AI-powered avatars to redefining the entire category and setting the standard with both facial and full body animation,” says Gregor Hofer, our CEO and co-founder. “By combining Aquifer Motion’s technology and team with Rapport, we’re giving enterprises the power to deliver real-time AI-driven character experiences with cinematic quality and unmatched scalability, something the industry has been waiting for and competitors simply can’t match.”
What this means for Rapport customers
If you are a Rapport customer, nothing changes with your account or access. You will simply start to see more creative tools coming your way. Think avatars that can gesture, move, and perform with the nuance of a real actor, all generated in minutes.
If you are an Aquifer customer, your same Austin-based team is still here to support you. Over time, you will gain access to Rapport’s facial animation technology and integrations with AI services like ChatGPT, Gemini, and more.
For everyone, this means more possibilities, more lifelike digital characters, and more ways to connect with audiences across learning, sales, marketing, and storytelling.
Welcoming the Aquifer team
We are also excited to welcome new leadership to the Rapport family:
Chen Zhang, Aquifer co-founder and CEO, is now our Chief Growth Officer
Matt Udvari, Aquifer co-founder and CTO, is now our Chief Creative Technology Officer
Their creativity, expertise, and vision are a perfect fit as we continue to raise the bar for digital human technology. The full Aquifer team will remain based in Austin, joining our offices in San Francisco, Edinburgh, Budapest, and Singapore.
“Joining Rapport marks an exciting new chapter for Aquifer Motion. We’re giving teams across industries the ability to tell stories and build connections in ways that simply weren’t possible before, while making character animation faster and more scalable,” says Chen Zhang, CEO and co-founder of Aquifer Motion. “From learning and development, and marketing to customer support, this is about creating experiences that are not just seen or heard—but felt.”
What’s next
This acquisition is about more than adding features. It is about making avatar technology accessible without Hollywood budgets, long production timelines, or technical headaches.
Whether you are training employees, enabling sales teams, building marketing campaigns, or telling stories in new ways, Rapport and Aquifer together will help you create avatars that connect, engage, and inspire.
And this is only the beginning.
Read the full press release here.
