Disruptel announces $1.15m seed round
March 15, 2021
Disruptel, the interactive TV and voice assistant innovator, has announced the completion of a $1.15 million (€0.96m) seed funding round.
PJC and Progress Ventures led the round, with the backing of notable industry investors and advisors including Mike Baker, co-founder and former CEO of DataXu (acquired by Roku in 2019), Adam Cheyer, voice assistant expert and co-founder of Siri, Andrew Olson, a senior technology executive instrumental in developing both Xfinity TV in the US and Sky Q in Europe, Bill Simmons, co-founder of DataXu, as well as other high-profile streaming video executives. The funding will be used to enhance and scale the company’s Context and Smart Screen products in the market.
Founded in 2017, St. Louis-based Disruptel develops artificial intelligence (AI) solutions that process video content in real-time. The company’s flagship product, Context, allows users to ask questions about the content on their Connected TV’s through their remote control and receive immediate answers, including information regarding the people and items on-screen. Context also allows users to purchase video on demand and other products related to on-screen content without the need for a second device.
“I created Disruptel to make the TV viewing experience better for me and for my friends,” said Alex Quinn, CEO of Disruptel. “Like most Gen Z viewers, I think smart TVs are not as smart as they should be. We were never given the truly smart and interactive TV we were promised, so we are creating it ourselves. Our products improve the viewing experience while also creating new revenue streams for our content partners through non-intrusive advertising.”