In a world increasingly intermediated by technology, Didimo’s mission is to bring the richness of human engagement to every digital interaction; firstly through Popul8 and the gaming worlds that mean so much to us.
For over two decades, Verónica Orvalho has been a global leader in the research and development of facial technology in computer graphics and computer vision. She is passion about applications of her technology to help people communicate and connect more authentically across all media. Seeing firsthand how transformational effective human digital engagement can be, Veronica created Didimo, with the focus on making the digital world more human - whether in our favourite game worlds or other immersive experiences.
She has pioneered the technology to generate high-fidelity digital humans—fully animatable, at scale, and run-time. This patented technology at Didimo is transforming the ways companies populate their digital worlds to engage their users.
Behind the tech wizardry, Veronica holds a Ph.D. in Computer Graphics and shapes minds as a professor at Porto University. Her role as a TEDx ambassador has seen her ignite ideas and innovation on global stages for several years. A stalwart in the SIGGRAPH community, Veronica contributes as a published author, a Grand Jury member, and a Reviewer, showcasing her commitment to the advancement of digital arts and sciences.
She founded a European & US-funded research laboratory at Porto University; has published significant work in major international conferences and journals (SIGGRAPH, EUROGRAPHICS, CHI, etc.); commercialized unique IP in Microsoft and Universal Studios; and worked at IBM and Ericsson. Her inventions have been used by Universal Studios, Sony, Microsoft, and Amazon.
Adding to her trailblazing career, Veronica has been nurturing the next generation of innovators as an EU EIC mentor since 2020, recently crowned an EIC Ambassador in 2024. Her entrepreneurial spirit was recognized as an EY Winning Women in 2022, and her innovative prowess was shortlisted for the European Women Innovator in 2021.
As a dreamer and optimist, she champions the cause of education for all, believing in the power of knowledge to unlock potential. On a more personal note, Veronica is a devoted mother to two wonderful children, striving to shape a world where they, and everyone else, can express themselves freely and safely in the digital realm.
At Didimo, we push the boundaries of how we use digital characters to interact, communicate and live our stories - in our world, our virtual worlds and in our favorite game worlds.
In 2011, Didimo CEO Verónica Orvalho and her team at Porto University observed how virtual avatars can elicit engagement and emotional empathy in patients with severe autism. Through this research, a father was able to communicate for the first time with his autistic child through the use of an avatar. This experience inspired a passion to help everyone connect more authentically in digital spaces. See the story here.
Didimo was officially founded in 2016 and has quickly grown in the subsequent years to a team of over 30 people spread across 3 locations globally. The Didimo team is a highly-skilled team of experts in Computer Vision, Computer Graphics, Machine Learning, and Technical Art. Despite our technical focus, we never forget that our work is to help people make better human connections.
