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AI publishing pioneers Echobox attract $3.4m in funding

London-based AI firm Echobox has sealed $3.4m (approx. £2.55m) in funding from investment firms Mangrove Capital Partners and LocalGlobe.

The startup has developed AI software that it claims helps publishers share their content on Twitter and Facebook by predicting how viral any given piece of content might be while also recommending the optimum time to post on social networks.

Major newspapers including French publications Le Monde and Le Figaro already utilise the tech firm’s AI insight to help with its social sharing and publishing.

Outlining the thinking behind the startup’s innovations, Echobox founder and Chief Executive Antoine Amann, said: “While some publishers have built successful business models around online publishing, the broader publishing industry has been in crisis and is struggling with the data-heavy world of social media – the new life blood of media distribution.”

“Having worked at a well-known publisher, I was amazed by how they were investing vast resources in trying to perfect the science of content distribution in-house with data scientists and analytics tools to guide decision-making. Not only is it extremely expensive but it’s essentially an impossible task due to the vast and never-ending stream of real-time data.”

Echobox are planning to use the new funding to build its AI technology and boost marketing and sales activities to try and get more publishers onboard with today’s backing also marking a major seal of approval from two big tech investment businesses.

Michael Jackson, partner at Mangrove Capital Partners, added: “Quality journalism plays an important role in society. By taking the data science out of online publishing, Echobox will allow journalists to focus on what they do best while ensuring publishers can thrive.

“Antoine and his team already have an impressive list of highly respected news organisations using the AI and the potential market is enormous.”

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