TL;DR:
- Catch+Release introduces an AI-driven search tool for user-generated content.
- Simplifies content licensing for brands, reducing the need to switch between platforms.
- Image recognition technology enhances search capabilities.
- Limitation: Cannot search the broader internet for content.
- Six hundred creators were onboarded with over 300,000 indexed items.
- Video search performance is being improved.
- Catch+Release secures $31.3 million in funding.
- Investors include Accel, Cervin, Stagwell, HarbourVest Partners, 35V, and Gainsight CEO Nick Mehta.
Main AI News:
Catch+Release, a pioneering startup in the field of creator content licensing, has introduced an innovative AI-powered search tool designed to facilitate the discovery of user-generated content through natural language queries. In an era where authentic and relatable content is paramount for brands’ marketing endeavors, this development marks a significant leap forward.
The core mission of Catch+Release is to assist companies in securing licenses for creator content to enhance their marketing campaigns. Traditionally, brands seeking to incorporate content from platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok into their collections faced the cumbersome task of navigating from one platform to another. The new search engine eliminates this hurdle by allowing marketers to seamlessly search for fitting content within the platform itself.
A prevailing challenge for marketers on platforms like Instagram has been the inability to perform nuanced searches, such as querying for “children at a birthday party.” Typically, reliance on keywords and creators’ accurate tagging of images or videos was the norm. Catch+Release takes a revolutionary approach by employing cutting-edge image recognition technology to identify scenes and objects in multimedia assets, thereby expanding search capabilities.
Despite its groundbreaking features, the current iteration of the search engine has certain limitations. Notably, it cannot access the broader internet for content searches. Instead, Catch+Release typically collaborates with content creators, urging them to import their assets and link their social accounts to the platform. Since the recent launch of creator onboarding, the platform has successfully onboarded 600 creators with an impressive catalog of over 300,000 indexed items.
In our preliminary tests, we observed that the search engine excelled in locating images related to the queries, but its performance with videos exhibited some variability. For instance, a query for “a dog playing in the Park” yielded videos that occasionally lacked dogs. Catch+Release acknowledges this and is actively refining its recognition capabilities to provide more accurate results.
Catch+Release’s dedication to innovation has garnered substantial financial backing, with a total funding of $31.3 million to date. Notably, the company recently announced an extension round that secured an additional $8 million in investment. Prominent investors include Accel, Cervin, Stagwell, HarbourVest Partners, 35V (Kevin Durant’s venture firm), and Gainsight CEO Nick Mehta.
Conclusion:
Catch+Release’s AI-powered content search tool streamlines content acquisition for marketers, improving efficiency and accessibility. However, its inability to search the broader internet may limit its scope. Nonetheless, the substantial funding and ongoing improvements position the company as a significant player in content licensing and marketing strategies.
