Seervision, a Zurich-based startup that uses AI to automate high-quality video production, announced that it has raised CHF 3.7M (approx €3.44M) in a fresh round of funding.
The round was led by Verve Ventures, along with Athens-based VC Metavallon, the EIC Fund, Zürcher Kantonalbank, and existing investors.
Michael Blank of Verve Ventures says, “Seervision is perfectly positioned to profit from the move towards hybrid and virtual events. The demand for cost-efficient high-quality video production is rising fast.”
Funds for expansion
The company claims that the proceeds from this round will help it scale up sales, leveraging the partner channel that it has built over the past months with media technology providers such as Diversified in North America, ASK Corp. in Japan, and B+T Bild+Ton AG in Switzerland.
The capital will also be used in expanding the company’s development team and opening an office in Athens to further diversify its talent pool.
Seervision’s co-founder Nikos Kariotoglou adds, “This is the perfect time for us. The shift to remote work has brought remote production technology five years forward, creating fertile soil for workflow automation companies such as ours. All indicators point in the right direction and it’s just a matter of time before we are established as a market leader.”
AI-assisted camera operation
Founded in 2016 by Conrad von Grebel, Nikos Kariotoglou, and Reto Hofmann, Seervision has its roots in multi-camera control research at the Automatic Control Laboratory of ETH Zurich.
With expertise in real-time optimisation, computer vision, and predictive motion models, the company ventured to create a camera system that can film a moving object while mimicking the movements of a professional camera operator.
The company says this technology helps broadcast teams to explore various production techniques in delivering productions with consistently high quality and significantly lower costs.
Seervision works with distributors and system integrators to provide complete autonomous solutions for the proAV industry, as well as selling directly to venues and corporations looking to automate and improve their video productions.
According to the company, in its first demo of the prototype in a lecture recording setting, the viewers could not distinguish if the camera movements were controlled by an algorithm or an experienced camera operator. And what started as an idea to improve live lecture recording grew into a flourishing startup.
The company has over 30 employees and has expanded into markets across Europe, Asia, and North America.
Recent developments
In March 2021, Seervision partnered with ASK Corporation to deliver video production innovation to customers in Japan. This was due to Japan’s enormous demand for high-quality video content, growing demand for production automation, and the presence of important camera manufacturers of the world.
The company has also partnered with Shanghai-based Topcool Media to access customers in China. Topcool Media specialises in connecting their customers with extensive setups for large-scale video productions, from esports to concerts, as well as fully equipped mobile production vehicles.
01
destream: Building the financial backbone of the creator economy