£500,000+ investment for media AI start-up

North AI has raised £580k from Innovate UK and SFC Capital as it seeks to bring artificial intelligence to the media sector.

The Manchester company has received £280k grant funding from Innovate UK, with £300k coming from SFC Capital and private angel investors.

Co-founded by the team behind Paus – which was acquired by Cindie in September last year – North AI aims to become the central hub that helps the screen sector analyse the commercial risk, potential gains and marketability of old and new titles.

“In my last company, we spoke with literally thousands of producers, financiers, distributors and brands,” explained Co-founder and CEO, Rishi Kapoor.

“All of them faced the same issue, knowing what they should be creating, selling or buying, as well as how it should be positioned, what were the target markets and what audiences truly wanted. That is what North AI is here to solve” 

Kapoor was the founder and CEO of Paus and prior to that was Senior Analyst at Warner Bros. He’s also held roles at NBCU and Sony.

The cash will be used to kick-start its AI development to help streamers, producers, studios and advertisers “make smarter decisions over their content.”

In the future it’s planning to expand into the advertising space.

“We’re excited to be investing in North AI alongside grant funding from the UK Government, and see the impact that AI-powered analytics can have in the ever-changing media landscape,” said Ed Stevenson, SFC Capital Investment Executive.