Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global supply chains and other economically important systems, 2020 still managed to produce major tech breakthroughs, as well as thousands of startups. We analyzed 1.741 media startups, all of them developing innovative solutions spanning from content development and marketing to virtual reality (VR) and advanced analytics solutions. In this report, you will discover 5 emerging media startups founded in 2020.
The 5 promising media startups you should watch in 2021 were hand-picked based on our data-driven startup scouting approach, taking into account factors such as location, founding year, and relevance of technology, among others. The 1.741 companies that were analyzed for this report are identified using the StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering 1.379.000+ startups & scaleups globally. When you are looking for up-to-date media solutions for your innovation units, R&D, or product development department, the StartUs Insights Discovery Platform gives you the most exhaustive collection and ensures you continuously discover new startups, scaleups, and technologies.
Global Startup Heat Map: 5 Media Startups to Watch in 2021
The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights 5 startups, established in 2020, developing technology-driven solutions for the media industry. Moreover, you can explore global hotspots for media startups and even download this graphic to include in your next presentation.
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Emerging Media Technology Solutions
According to our data of startups, on average, media startups & scaleups have raised more than US$ 18 million in funding each for technology-driven solutions in the last 5 years. Discover which technologies take the lead:
Media, sports, and entertainment companies increasingly utilize artificial intelligence (AI) and big data & analytics to automate digital content processes. To reach a wider audience, startups help media companies streamline their social media presence and personalized content development. AdTech is also an emerging field with media companies opting to use programmatic advertising solutions. Gaming and eSports are also gaining popularity, especially since the COVID-19 related lockdowns. Further, advancements in live streaming technologies and the rising access to sufficient internet enable media companies to receive instant consumer feedback.
What opportunities does media technology offer?
Digital media companies build multi-disciplinary teams that span from building data integration tools and customer interfaces to content experts and marketing professionals. Media technology startups and scaleups develop solutions to improve both front-end and back-end media technology challenges. Software for enhancing content ideation and scheduling processes enables media teams and managers to continuously streamline their offerings. For example, startups provide the tools and platforms for content development teams, data science teams, and marketing teams of media companies to implement automated content generation or mixed reality experiences.
Explore which of these technologies are advanced by startups & scaleups:
5 Media Startups to Watch in 2021
Contentyze – AI Journalism
British startup Contentyze develops natural language generation (NLG) solutions with applications in various industries. Ṭhe startup’s AI Writer enables content automation by providing real-time word suggestions and entirely AI-generated original text pieces. Moreover, AI Writer allows for extremely scalable and rapid content generation. A second product, AI Journalism, helps journalists and content developers automate large chunks of everyday content. This includes automating real-time stock market updates, localized news for multiple audiences, sports game summaries, and live broadcast commentary, as well as blog posts from headlines and live reporting of sensor-based information or trigger-based information.
Wiser – Sponsorship Measurement
The US-based startup Wiser utilizes computer vision technology to measure the effectiveness of sponsorships for brands, media agencies, social media influencers, and sports teams. The startup’s suite of analytics solutions includes social media post valuations, campaign benchmarking, sports measurement, and digital studio partnerships. The analytics platform draws data from computer vision systems such as the size, visibility, location, and prominence of logo impression and brand exposure across social media, broadcast TV, and online streaming.
Datasys – Marketing Platform
Datasys
is a US-based startup providing an effective and easy-to-use self-serve display advertising and email marketing platform. The Datasys360 platform saves advertisers countless man-hours and provides them with access to more than 280 million consumer profiles, simple campaign scheduling, and detailed reporting. The easy-to-use interface provides over 250 unique lifestyle and demographic overlays with historical and future consumer spending behavior. The Datasys360 solution allows media companies and brands to establish strong consumer engagement channels.
Rally Cry – eSports
Based out of the US, Rally Cry develops games to connect people of all ages and skill levels. Rally Cry’s games are designed to amplify the benefits of video gaming with different games targeting particular cohorts. For example, Company Clash is a recreational video game league where coworkers team up to play against teams from other companies in different game titles. The top teams then earn money for the charities of their choice. Air Force Gaming is the official gaming program and competition hub for the United States Air Force and Space Force. Air Force Gaming is an initiative to help Airmen of all ages, ranks, and backgrounds find common ground through video games, while also promoting their mental acuity, motor function coordination, and competitive excellence.
Pragma – Online Game Development Platform
Pragma
is a US-based startup specializing in the tools required to easily build and scale multiplayer online games. The startup’s platform enables game developers to access and build games that are easy-to-use, scalable, and fully studio-owned. The solution significantly reduces costs for the gaming industry for building, scaling, and maintaining online games. Some features of the platform include player data services, game loop processes, telemetry, and store integrations. By providing game developers with code-level access, Pragma is also able to build games in a more reliable way.
What will 2021 bring for media companies?
To stay ahead of the technology curve, it is important that you know which technologies and industry trends will impact your company in 2021. You can explore our curated innovation reports or let us do the work for you. To keep you up-to-date on the latest technology and emerging solutions, we provide you with actionable innovation intelligence – quickly and exhaustively.
