Participated · Equity · Jun 2023

Spectrm offers a no-code conversational marketing automation platform that enables brands to convert customers and drive revenue via social messaging channels. Led by CEO Max Koziolek, the company has been a multi-year Meta and Google enterprise messaging partner and launched on Messenger when it opened for businesses. Spectrm has patented two domain-specific NLP applications using generative networks (2020) and has integrated GPT into its product since GPT-2, continuously upgrading model integrations for brand-safe conversational commerce. Its partner ecosystem includes Zendesk, Jellyfish, WPP, and Accenture Interactive, and its customer roster features Uber, HelloFresh, Volkswagen, Premier League, and Pandora. The company plans to use new funding to expand its brand-ready AI tools and deepen CRM integrations to increase conversion and capture zero-party data. Spectrm aims to leverage those capabilities as the basis for consumer lifecycle, segmentation, and retention marketing. Spectrm offers an AI-driven conversational marketing platform that automates conversations on messaging and social channels to engage and convert customers. The platform uses an AI algorithm to collect behavioral data that marketers can use to segment audiences and build stronger customer relationships. Spectrm cites enterprise customers including eBay, Ford, Groupon, Renault, and KLM. The company positions conversational marketing as a high-ROI channel with far higher engagement than email on messaging platforms. Leadership frames the product as combining the human experience of conversation with the reach of the largest platforms. Competitors named in the article include LivePerson, ManyChat, Snaps.io, Automat.ai, and Chatfuel. Spectrm is a Berlin-based startup that delivers news via messaging platforms such as Facebook Messenger, Slack, and Telegram on behalf of publishers. Since launching in the summer of 2015, it has provided a CMS interface that lets publishers customize and distribute content for messaging without any coding, including GIFs, videos, and other rich media. Spectrm’s technology conducts conversational interactions—using user responses and click behavior—to continue serving relevant content at the right time and has given publishers engagement insights (for example, time-of-day engagement patterns). Publishers can market the feature to their audiences via direct messages to their Facebook pages or by adding a subscribe button on their sites. The company operates under a SaaS model with publishers paying a base fee of $195/month and is in business with more than 50 publishers, including Business Insider, NowThis and Bild. Spectrm has raised a total of $1.5 million from North Base Media, Lerer Hippeau Ventures, Axel Springer, BDMI and angel investor Jens Schumann.

Participated · Equity · May 2022

Hunch is a Belgrade-based ads automation platform that combines precise consumer personalisation, dynamic creative assembly at scale, real-time social media placement, product-feed data science and end-to-end collaboration workflow. The platform is used by over 100 global brands and agencies across Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia to deliver highly tailored creative campaigns. The company has completed a €4 million funding round led by Catalyst Romania and backed by 3TS Capital Partners, Euroventures, North Base Media, SeedBlink and South Central Ventures. Hunch will use the capital to triple its sales team and increase marketing investments to support expansion in Europe and the U.S. It also plans to accelerate its technology roadmap to better support customers in growing revenue through personalisation. The product is positioned to help consumer-facing corporations increase interaction, conversion to revenue and lifetime value by delivering the right ad creatives at the right time.

Led · Series A · Aug 2021

Vietcetera is a Ho Chi Minh City-based digital media network that produces content for younger audiences. The company claims an audience of 20 million users per month and works with advertisers including AIA Life Insurance, Google, Facebook, Nestlé, MasterCard, Vingroup and Tiki. It plans to broaden its target demographic and will launch new vertical brands in 2022 focused on women's content, real estate and personal finance. Vietcetera says it will prioritize original content licensing and development to drive monetization. New funding will be used to expand content — including new shows and podcasts — develop its mobile app, pursue franchise and content licensing, and explore potential acquisitions. Founded in 2016 by Hao Tran and Guy Truong, the company is positioning itself for growth in the regional digital media market.

Participated · Seed · Jun 2021

Loco is a Bengaluru-headquartered game streaming platform. It raised $42 million (Rs 330 crore) in a Series A funding round. The round was led by South Korea’s early-stage venture fund Hashed. Makers Fund, Catamaran Ventures and Korea Investment Partners also participated in the financing. The article does not disclose additional financial metrics, past rounds, or planned uses of proceeds. Loco is a 'Made in India' live game streaming and esports platform available on Android and iOS that enables users to watch and stream games and hosts India’s top creators and esports teams. The platform features one-click mobile streaming, interactive features not typical of VOD-first services, and a creator program aimed at helping novice streamers grow. Loco has partnered with global publishers such as Activision, Ubisoft and Riot Games and run India-focused programs with brands like the NBA, Logitech and Red Bull. It reports rapid engagement growth: monthly active viewers scaled 6x, monthly active streamers 10x, and live watch hours 48x since June 2020, with highly active users spending about one hour daily on the app. The company is building in-game integrations with international partners and plans to use new capital to advance its game streaming technology and content offerings. Loco will be spun off into an independent entity from parent Pocket Aces, with founders Anirudh Pandita and Ashwin Suresh leading the business going forward.

Led · Series A · Apr 2020

NewsBytes is an AI-driven digital media startup that uses its YANTRA engine to create concise news items with almost zero human intervention. YANTRA has multilingual capabilities and automates factual content across categories from consumer technology to financial markets. The company says the engine reduces costs while enabling scale and is intended to support journalists rather than replace work that requires human empathy. NewsBytes plans to license YANTRA beyond media houses to other companies that require factual content and is developing additional AI products. The company will deploy the new funding to augment its technology, expand its audience, and develop new technologies to serve new clients. NewsBytes is Gurugram-based, was founded in 2015, and its B2C vertical saw about 13 million monthly unique users over the last 3–4 months.