Led · Equity · Apr 2019

Muso provides piracy analytics that track billions of visits, views and downloads across P2P and unlicensed streaming sites, converting highly unstructured piracy data into structured information via microservices and proprietary technology. Its platform tracks over 325,000 film and TV titles daily and powers three products: Discover (consumption measurement), Protect (pirated-content takedown) and Connect (audience targeting for advertising). Muso delivers insights through a dashboard and API to studios, networks, cinema groups, talent agents, broadcasters and VoD platforms to inform content strategy, licensing negotiations, anti-piracy actions and windowing. The company reported 330% growth in fiscal year 2022 and measured more than 201 billion visits to piracy-driving sites between 2021 and 2022. Muso was founded in 2009 and has customers including Amazon Studios, The Walt Disney Company, NATO, Lionsgate, MNRK and Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe. With its latest funding, Muso plans to establish a marketing function and build sales teams in the United Kingdom and the United States to take its product and data capabilities to global entertainment industries. Muso provides a digital piracy data solution that removes unlicensed digital content and gives access to rich data and insights from piracy audiences. Its data is used by right-holders, broadcasters, sports organisations and brand advertisers to inform a total view of audience consumption and to provide insight into content demand, creation and monetization. The company tracked 190 billion visits to piracy sites throughout 2018. Clients named in the article include Sony Interactive, IMG, Entertainment One, Vertical Entertainment and EUIPO. Led by CEO and co-founder Andy Chatterley, Muso plans to use new funding to expand sales and marketing and to increase its presence in the digital media, gaming and live broadcast sectors. The company is based in London, UK. Muso offers a content protection and data insights platform that delivers an all-encompassing overview of the global piracy market. Its dataset covers more than 200 countries and monitors major forms of piracy activity, including streaming, web downloads, public and private torrents, and stream rippers. Last year the platform tracked over 191 billion global visits to websites hosting unauthorized content. Clients include rights-holders across the music, film, television, software and publishing industries. The company will use the funding to expand sales and marketing and to bolster its technology and operations infrastructure. Muso was co-founded in 2009 by Andy Chatterley, Christopher Elkins and James Mason and is based in London, UK. MUSO is a London-based anti-piracy company that sends DMCA takedown requests and develops products to address online copyright infringement. The firm has sent over one million DMCA takedown URLs to Google and charges clients between 8 and 24 cents per link. MUSO is developing a new technology intended to convert pirates into paying customers and has a trial planned in the second quarter of next year. To fund this R&D the company applied for and received a Smart Award grant from the UK Government's Technology Strategy Board. Its top clients, per Google's Transparency Report, are predominantly foreign rights holders including Eros International, Entertainment One, Meulenhoff Boekerij, Nuclear Blast and Nordisk Film Distribution Norway. MUSO also has an agreement with Russian social network VKontakte to monitor and report uploads of copyrighted material and previously announced (but has not yet released) a browser add-on to report infringing links.

Led · Equity · Jan 2014

Genesis Technical Systems is a Coventry-based developer of broadband-over-copper technologies, chiefly mBond and DSL Rings. mBond has delivered over 100 Mb/s over a one-mile link in Telco field trials, and DSL Rings are described as capable of delivering up to 400 Mb/s for fixed-line broadband. The company reports trials in Asia and Europe with positive feedback and expects first orders in the summer. The new funding is intended to move the business from innovation and development into full commercialisation. Genesis positions its products as lower-cost alternatives to fibre for both mobile backhaul and fixed-line operators. The company has also received industry recognition, including a Fierce Telecom Last Mile Innovation Award and nominations for other telecom awards.