Hourone

Hour One envisions a future where video content creation is accessible to everyone, breaking down barriers of cost and expertise through advanced AI technology. We are redefining how businesses communicate by transforming text into vivid, meaningful video narratives that connect on a human level.

Our pioneering AI avatars and multilingual capabilities serve as the foundation for a scalable platform that empowers enterprises to engage global audiences effortlessly. By merging cutting-edge innovation with creative expression, Hour One is building the next generation of digital storytelling tools that drive meaningful impact across industries.

We'll be honest — Hour One caught our attention as one of those AI video companies that actually seemed to "get it." While most competitors were churning out robotic-looking avatars that screamed "artificial," Hour One's approach felt refreshingly human.

The Tel Aviv and New York-based startup launched in 2019 with a simple but ambitious goal: make professional video creation accessible to everyone. And for a few years there, they were doing exactly that.

What Made Them Stand Out

Hour One's secret sauce wasn't just another text-to-video tool — it was their lifelike avatars that could actually hold your attention. We've seen plenty of AI presenters that look like they're reading from a teleprompter in a hostage video, but Hour One's avatars had this natural quality that made you forget you weren't watching a real person.

Their multilingual capabilities were impressive too. Creating videos in dozens of languages and dialects without hiring voice actors or presenters? That's the kind of scalability that gets enterprise clients excited.

The Enterprise Play

Hour One clearly understood their market. Instead of chasing individual creators, they focused on B2B clients who needed to produce training videos, marketing content, or communication materials at scale. Smart positioning — these are the customers with real budgets and genuine pain points around video production costs.

With $25 million in funding, they had the runway to build something substantial. And judging by their client traction, they were onto something good.

Plot Twist: The Wix Acquisition

Here's where the story takes an interesting turn. In 2023, Wix swooped in and acquired Hour One to beef up their own AI capabilities. It's one of those acquisitions that makes perfect sense — Wix gets cutting-edge video AI tech, and Hour One's team gets the resources of a major platform.

The downside? Hour One as we knew it no longer exists as a standalone product. It's been folded into Wix's broader ecosystem, which means if you were hoping to try their avatar technology independently, you're out of luck.

Still, we can't help but respect what they built in their relatively short run. They proved that AI video generation could be both powerful and genuinely useful — a legacy that'll likely live on through Wix's platform innovations.