Cyabra Raises $5.6M to Combat News Disinformation

Combating Online Deception: Cyabra Secures $5.6 Million in Series A Funding

The proliferation of misleading and false content on social media platforms continues to escalate, impacting organizations across both the public and private sectors. Cyabra, a startup headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, has developed a SaaS platform designed to assess online conversation authenticity and impact.

New Funding and Platform Enhancements

The company recently announced the successful completion of a $5.6 million Series A funding round, coinciding with the release of advanced disinformation detection tools. These tools are intended to foster more genuine online interactions, enhance consumer influence analysis, and ultimately protect the reputations of businesses.

This latest investment brings Cyabra’s total funding to $7.6 million. The company intends to utilize these funds to strengthen its research and development capabilities.

Investor Details

OurCrowd led the Series A round, with participation from notable investors including Founders Fund (Peter Thiel’s firm), Harpoon Ventures, Alabaster, Accomplice, Red Shepherd Ventures, Summus Z, TAU Ventures, and Capital Y Management.

Furthermore, angel investors Will Graylin, former global co-GM of Samsung Pay, and Brian Norgard, ex-CPO of Tinder, also contributed to this funding round.

Expansion Plans

According to Cyabra CEO Dan Brahmy, the raised capital will facilitate expansion into key global markets, specifically the U.S. and Asia. This expansion will involve the establishment of marketing and sales teams, as well as strategic hiring initiatives.

Plans are also underway to open a new office on the East Coast of the United States.

Cyabra’s Core Technology and Differentiation

Established in 2018 by Dan Brahmy, Yossef Daar (COO), and Ido Shraga (CTO), Cyabra aims to function as a crucial filter for online conversations utilized by diverse organizations. The company’s competitive advantage lies in its innovative proliferation modules, known as Snowball Effect Analysis.

This analysis empowers clients to understand evolving narratives and identify emerging trends, providing a real-time understanding of authentic online discourse.

Understanding Narrative Dynamics

The Snowball Effect Analysis also provides insights into how the speed and timing of information dissemination can shape the trajectory of narratives, particularly those driven by influential online actors.

Cyabra leverages artificial intelligence to pinpoint the formation of online communities engaged in coordinated messaging. It also identifies the key individuals driving the spread of information.

Data Analysis and Accuracy

The platform aggregates and analyzes data from tens of thousands of sources, enhancing the accuracy of its machine learning algorithms. An enhanced autonomous client notification system has also been implemented, allowing users to customize alerts regarding shifts in authenticity and proliferation in real-time.

Serving Diverse Industries

Cyabra’s clientele spans a wide range of industries, including financial services, consumer brands, advertising agencies, and public sector organizations. The platform provides the tools necessary to detect inauthentic narratives, identify malicious actors, and even analyze the potential impact of deepfakes.

Notable Clients and Growth

Current clients and partners include the U.S. State Department, global advertising agency TBWA, and several major financial institutions. The company reported a substantial 400% revenue growth in 2020, demonstrating the increasing demand for solutions that can measure genuine online conversations.

Industry Consolidation

The industry has seen some consolidation, with larger tech companies acquiring competitors. Twitter acquired U.K.-based Fabula AI in 2019, while Facebook purchased U.K.’s Bloomsbury AI in 2018, both to bolster their efforts in combating fake news.

Vision for the Future

“We founded Cyabra to bring authenticity to the digital realm, offering solutions to help make sense of the abundance of noise in online conversations today and uncover truths within these narratives,” stated Brahmy. “Disinformation is no longer solely a political issue; we’re seeing consumer brands identify a serious need to examine their online reputation and sentiment under a close lens.”

“We’re excited to expand our footprint and leadership team to offer these companies the resources and information they need to make data-driven decisions and combat disinformation.”

Investor Perspective

Jon Medved, CEO of OurCrowd, emphasized the critical importance of information verification in the current climate. “Cyabra is helping major corporations and organizations make sure that what we all read is verified first. This is both a great social need and a great investment.”