In a digital landscape where video is king and attention spans are the ultimate currency, KERV.ai is doubling down on its ambition to make every frame count—literally. The Austin-based startup just closed its Series B funding round, led by Coral Tree Partners, to accelerate its push into interactive, shoppable, and data-rich video experiences across online and connected TV (CTV).

KERV.ai has been building momentum for months, reporting record commercial and partnership growth. Now, with fresh capital in hand, the company wants to expand globally, pour more fuel into R&D, and build out its contextual commerce engine—the same engine quietly powering clickable product moments inside ads, shows, and creator content.

Video’s New Currency: Object-Level Metadata

While much of the industry talks about AI-powered video, KERV.ai’s pitch is more granular. Its platform parses videos frame-by-frame, identifying products, objects, scenes, and contextual cues with proprietary object-level metadata. That data then drives everything from shoppable overlays to dynamic creative optimization to first-party data targeting.

In a world where advertisers are staring down the deprecation of third-party cookies and increasingly opaque attribution, KERV.ai’s approach offers something rare: actionable, privacy-safe intelligence extracted directly from content itself. Brands and publishers get smarter targeting and measurable outcomes; consumers get interactive moments that feel less like ads and more like discovery.

It’s a formula that’s resonating with agencies and CTV publishers searching for ways to improve performance without cramming more ads into their streams.

Investors See a Convergence Moment

Coral Tree Partners, known for backing companies at the intersection of media and technology, says KERV.ai is well-positioned to lead a long-overdue shift.

“KERV.ai has built a proprietary technology that combines creative storytelling, commerce activation, and data-driven performance,” said Coral Tree’s Alan Resnikoff. “This team is poised to lead the convergence of content, commerce and contextual intelligence.”

That convergence is already happening across the ecosystem. Amazon has been experimenting with shoppable streaming formats, Roku continues to invest in retail media tie-ins, and TikTok is pushing deeper into AI-powered product recognition. KERV.ai’s differentiation is its ability to apply these capabilities across all screens, not just its own walled garden.

CTV Growth, Ad-Supported Tiers, and the Commerce Flywheel

A big tailwind behind this raise is the explosive growth of ad-supported streaming. As more platforms—from Disney+ to Netflix—launch or expand AVOD tiers, the pressure is on to make ads more effective without increasing volume.

That’s where contextual commerce comes in.

Instead of relying on broad demographics or third-party segments, object-level metadata allows advertisers to target based on exact on-screen relevance. A character carries a particular handbag? A viewer can buy it. A cooking show features a specific spice blend? One tap takes you to checkout.

Publishers benefit too: interactive formats often deliver higher engagement and superior CPMs.

KERV.ai’s CEO Gary Mittman frames it as the start of a new era of performance video:
“Video remains the most powerful medium for connection, and KERV.ai is redefining how data, commerce and creativity come together,” he said. “With Coral Tree’s partnership, we’ll continue scaling our contextual commerce and AI video-intelligence solutions to drive measurable results for our clients.”

What Comes Next

With the new funding, KERV.ai plans to invest in:

• Expanded R&D for advanced AI video intelligence

• Global infrastructure and engineering talent

• New strategic partnerships across retail media and CTV

• Scalable tools for brands and agencies to build interactive creative

The company’s raise also underscores a broader industry trend: interactive video is becoming a competitive differentiator, not a novelty. As CTV continues its march toward retail media integration and AI personalization, expect more players to double down on contextual commerce.

KERV.ai—armed with fresh capital, growing demand, and a maturing tech stack—appears ready to push video deeper into the shoppable, measurable, data-enriched future marketers have been chasing.

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