Alex Quinn, Disruptel CEO

AI video technology startup Disruptel is going to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, January 5-8. CEO Alex Quinn tells the 4thEst8 it isn’t his first time at the show, but in 2019 he just walked around – and 2020 was virtual– this year he’s stepping up to show off his tech on the floor.

Now my time will be spent in a booth talking to people and we also have a suite rented out where we will be meeting with various companies and brands.” Quinn said, adding that the technology is in place and CES puts it out in front of customers. Can revenue be far behind? “Our business model right now (is) revenue share… I would say, within the first half of the (new) year.”

Disruptel uses machine learning to identify content being played on a video screen, enabling viewers to interact with it by asking for information, or making a purchase, when they see something on the screen that catches their interest. An example would be if one were watching Red Notice on Netflix and saw Dwayne Johnson wearing a cool pair of sunglasses, they could ask the smart TV what kind of sunglasses they were – and where to buy them.

Here’s what a viewer would see if they paused their smart screen enabled device.

We have the unique opportunity to help brands contextually-target their ads, but not at the expense of the consumer’s privacy or data,” Quinn said. “Because we use the information about the publicly available on-screen movie or show to target, we actually don’t really need to know much, if anything, about the viewer.”

Disruptel was founded in 2017 and has raised $2.5M total in an angel round, a seed round and from an Arch Grant. The $1.15M seed round in March 2021 was led by PJC and Progress Ventures with participation from individual investors Adam Cheyer, Mike Baker, Willard Simmons, and Andrew Olson. Disruptel is also a portfolio company of Capital Innovators in St. Louis, and a part of the ITEN innovation community.

Links:

Disruptel

On the 4thEst8:

Disruptel closes $1.15M seed round