Verify, an artificial intelligence startup based in Amsterdam, just raised €1 million from serial entrepreneurs Niels Bouwman and Chris Hall who have made an angel investment. Google has also invested in Verify and included the company in its Google for Startups Cloud Program, resulting in a total investment of €1 million.
Niels Bouwman, the founder and former CEO of Lytho, has been appointed as the new CEO of Verify. Chris Hall, known as the founder of Bynder, joined Verify’s Supervisory Board. Meanwhile, Hugo Smits, the founder of Verify and a former tech lead at Nintendo, will remain on board as the CTO.
The Amsterdam-based AI company has secured the investments to hire skilled AI developers and data scientists. Verify plans to focus on directly expanding in Europe in the United States through its channel partner network, which includes Bynder and Lytho. Verify’s initial clients include Vinci Energies, Erasmus University, and the Dutch national union FNV.
Founded in 2022, Verify wants to build a digital world you can trust. It has developed its own AI algorithm that embeds an invisible fingerprint in images and videos to achieve this. This fingerprint guarantees the authenticity of a photo or video with 100% certainty.
This invisible fingerprint allows digital media files to be traced anywhere online through Verify’s AI monitoring service. This technology has a wide range of applications, such as combating fake news and copyright infringements and distinguishing between human-generated and AI-generated content.
Through its technology solutions, Verify aims to establish itself as the leading global digital authenticity and provenance standard.
Niels Bouwman, CEO of Verify, said: “Every day, more than twenty-eight billion images are uploaded to the Internet, the vast majority of which cannot be traced and measured. When an organisation publishes its visual brand assets, it cannot verify whether it has achieved widespread popularity or where it eventually ended up. As a result, the brand impact of these visuals remains largely unknown.”
“A content creator who dedicated countless hours editing images may never locate where they have been published. By utilising our technology, organisations and creators gain a comprehensive overview of their visual assets’ journey and unveil how they are perceived. Our purpose is to transform the digital realm into a trustworthy environment,” added Bouwman.
Verify’s Board Member Chris Hall commented: “At my previous ventures, Label A and Bynder, we realised the importance of monitoring the distribution of our clients’ imagery. Once a picture is out there on social media, it can circulate all over the internet without the owners’ or brands’ consent, leading to significant issues, such as financial loss or, worse, reputation damage. With artificial intelligence on the rise, distinguishing between human-generated and AI-generated content becomes extremely relevant. That’s why I invested in Verify: to assist brands and creators in gaining back control over their visual content.”
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2024/04/amsterdam-based-verify-snaps-e1-million-to-expand-its-invisible-fingerprint-solution/
