Unitary, a leading AI-powered visual moderation company, has successfully raised €14.3 million in a Series A funding round, with Creandum leading the investment, alongside participation from Paladin Capital Group and Plural. This significant funding injection coincides with Unitary's expansion into multiple languages, a substantial increase in its team size, and a remarkable threefold surge in the daily classification of videos, from 2 to an impressive 6 million per day.
AI Innovation in Content Moderation: Founded in 2019 by co-founders Sasha Haco and James Thewlis, Unitary is at the forefront of developing groundbreaking AI technology that approaches video content understanding in a manner akin to human comprehension. The company's advanced machine learning technology possesses the capability to analyze multiple signals simultaneously, enabling it to not only decipher the content of videos and images but also comprehend the context in which they are presented. This unique competence is increasingly vital as online platforms adapt to evolving regulations such as the UK's Online Safety Bill and the EU's Digital Services Act, which mandate more proactive content moderation and stringent action against illegal materials, including child sexual abuse content.
Ethical AI for Safer Online Experiences: Sasha Haco, Co-Founder and CEO of Unitary, expressed the company's vision, stating, "Our vision is for ethical, empathetic AI to enhance how visual content is experienced online. We've always focused on how we might be able to use AI to ensure a safer online experience and keep up with the pace of internet content. This funding enables us to stay at the forefront of video understanding research and fulfill our mission of making the internet better."
Challenges in the Age of Video Content: The internet's landscape is increasingly dominated by complex video content, constituting a staggering 80% of internet traffic. Furthermore, the volume of online information is set to surge tenfold between 2020 and 2025. Given the sheer scale of this challenge, which surpasses the capabilities of human reviewers alone, Unitary has pioneered a machine learning solution that empowers online platforms to navigate nuance by comprehensively analyzing combinations of visual, aural, and textual content.
Investment for Growth and Innovation: Unitary intends to utilize this substantial investment to further strengthen its research and development initiatives, expand its talented team, and cultivate deep partnerships with leading social platforms and brand safety organizations. These strategic collaborations aim to accelerate efforts in content safety and classification technology innovation.
Investor Confidence and Support: Gemma Bloemen, Principal at Creandum and Unitary board member, commended the company's growth, stating, "Unitary has emerged as a clear early leader in the important AI field of content safety, and we're so excited to back this exceptional team as they continue to accelerate and innovate in content classification technology."
Ian Hogarth, Partner at Plural and Unitary board member, emphasized Unitary's remarkable progress, noting, "Already this year, the company has accelerated to 7 figures of ARR, almost unheard of at this early stage in the journey. We're confident that this is the team that is set to redefine how we ensure visual content safety in the digital age."
Christopher Steed, Chief Investment Officer at Paladin Capital Group, underscored the pressing need for technology-driven approaches to identify harmful content in the online world. He highlighted Unitary's pivotal role in addressing this complex technology and policy challenge, with a solution that is intuitive, effective, and ready to scale. Steed expressed his confidence in Unitary's mission to make the internet a safer place and pledged support for their global-scale efforts.
With the infusion of €14.3 million in Series A funding and a commitment to pioneering ethical AI for content safety, Unitary is poised to lead the way in ensuring a secure and responsible online environment, even as the internet's content complexity continues to expand exponentially.
For the latest updates on Unitary's innovative content moderation solutions and its mission to enhance online safety, stay tuned to their official channels and website.
