Zenus raises $3.2M to tackle edge facial analysis

Zenus has secured seed funding for its approach to facial analysis after a pivot away from biometrics. The startup has raised $3.2 million led by Moneta Ventures.

According to Austin Inno, the company will use the funds to develop new use cases for its approach that relies on edge computing to create what it calls ‘ethical facial analysis.’ Zenus was previously focused on facial recognition for events.

The technology would be able to analyze video on site and generate reports that do not identify individuals but can reportedly help retail and marketing teams learn more about their customers’ moods and buying habits.

For instance, the demographic and mood information captured by Zenus’ hardware can be used to test one retail display versus another, and to identify which approach has more conversions. That, in turn, can then be used in stores, at conventions and for research to build more targeted products.

The investment in Zenus comes months after the company closed its crowdfunding campaign as planned and raised almost $600k in January.

Article Topics

data privacy  |  edge AI  |  edge computing  |  facial analysis  |  funding  |  investment  |  Zenus