Mobius Labs, a Berlin-based company, has closed a 5.2million ($6.1M), funding round due to increased demand for its computer vision platform. Ventech VC is leading the Series A investment along with Atlantic Labs and APEX Ventures as well as Space Capital, Lunar Ventures, Lunar Ventures, and Space Capital. There are also some angel investors.
Startup offers an SDK to allow users to create computer vision models using their own data. This is an alternative for off-the-shelf software that may not be specific enough for certain use cases.
It also flags the no-code focus and says that its tech was designed for a non-technical user.
Mobius Labs platform is an SDK and can be deployed on-premise or on-device. Customers don't need to connect to the cloud to access the AI tools utility.
Appu Shaji (CEO and chief scientist) claims that our custom training interface is extremely easy to use and does not require any prior technical knowledge.
We have noticed a pattern over the years: the most valuable AI users are often non-technical people such as content managers in press agencies and creative agencies, or space sector application managers. No-code AI makes it possible for anyone to create their own applications. This allows users to achieve their goals without waiting for developers or AI specialists.
Mobius Labs was established in 2018. It now has 30 customers who use its tools for a variety of uses.
These uses include recommendation, prediction, categorisation and/or general connection of users and audiences to the most relevant visual content to their needs. (Press, broadcasting, and stock photography have been unsurprisingly major focuses to this point.
It believes that its technology has wider utility and is preparing for growth.
It can cater to all sizes of businesses, including startups and SMEs. However, it says that its primary focus is on global companies with significant content challenges.
It is now focusing on geospatial applications and earth observation to increase its customer base.
Over the past 18 months, the startup of 30 people has nearly doubled its size. It plans to increase its geographic footprint by focusing on Europe, the US and Asia with the new funding.
It has seen a 2x increase in year-on-year growth, but believes it can speed that up by tapping into other industries.
Shaji says that we are working with industries rich in visual data. We are focusing our attention on the geospatial industry right now because we believe that they produce vast amounts of visual information. These huge archives of raw pixels data are not enough to make sense of the world.
If we want to see how river fronts expand, for example, we need to analyze satellite data and sort them. This is currently being done manually. This technology is contained in a small SDK and can be installed directly on these satellites. The raw data can then be detected and analysed using machine learning algorithms. We are currently working in this area with satellite companies.
Shaji names Clarifai as its main competitors and Google Cloud Vision the main ones.
While we recognize these companies are major players, we also believe they have something to offer that is unique. Our platform users, unlike their solutions, can work outside of the field. He argues that by making machine learning accessible to everyone, not just the technical crowd, and making it understandable for all, computer vision is now more accessible than ever.
Our client data management is another core value that distinguishes us. Software Development Kits (SDK) are our solutions. These run on-premise and can be installed on client systems. We never receive any data. Our job is to help people build apps and make them theirs.
In recent years, computer vision startups have been a popular acquisition target. Earlier startups that offered computer vision as a service were acquired by IT service firms to expand their offerings. Tech giants such as Amazon and Google also offer computer vision services.
Shaji says the tech is at an entirely different stage and ready for mass adoption.
He says that we are talking about solutions that enable clients to create their own apps. We don't see any of our clients' data and our solutions run on-premise. Our technology is lightweight and can be used on many edge devices, such as smartphones, laptops, or satellites.
Stephan Wirries, Ventech VC partner, commented on the funding in a statement. He said: Appu and Mobius Labs have created an unrivalled offering in the field of computer vision. Superhuman Vision's high level of accuracy and excellent computational efficiency make it a remarkable innovation. Mobius Labs, the European Deep Tech innovator teaching machines how to see, believes AI will transform industries.
