Julia Braun Named Insolvency Administrator for Casablanca.AI

Casablanca.AI GmbH, one of the few German deep-tech start-ups, has filed for insolvency with the Local Court of Pforzheim. Julia Braun of Menold Bezler has been appointed as the preliminary insolvency administrator. The aim during the preliminary insolvency proceedings is to identify potential investors to enable the continuation of the company’s operations.

Founded in 2020 in Pforzheim, Casablanca.AI offers a software solution that enables natural eye contact during video calls with standard tools such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom—without the need for additional hardware. In 2025, the company pivoted to an enterprise-focused B2B model, which, however, required significantly greater research efforts as well as more extensive approval processes and IT security testing.

“Originally, our goal was simply to make digital communication more human,” said Carsten Kraus, CEO and founder of Casablanca.AI. “It turned out that the only way to achieve this was to develop a completely new foundational technology. That’s why we created the Foundation Model for faces, which goes far beyond video calls.” The Face Foundation Model enables the development of photorealistic avatars and, through facial recognition and generation technology, offers applications in sectors such as healthcare and automotive. Intensive discussions with potential customers from various industries have already taken place.

Challenging market conditions, cautious customer demand, and the lack of external financing sources ultimately led to the company’s insolvency.

“The technology and IP of Casablanca.AI are highly impressive, offering great potential across a wide range of applications. The current focus is on approaching business partners in the context of an investor process and, with their support, quickly identifying a sustainable continuation solution for the company,” explained Julia Braun, preliminary insolvency administrator of Casablanca.AI. Interested investors are invited to contact Julia Braun or Casablanca.AI directly.