Category-defining developer suite enables software companies to save money and time by optimizing and streamlining SMS programs through a centralized platform

Volt provides proactive delivery reporting and automates number registration compliance amid an increasingly complex regulatory environment for SMS

Volt, the leading Messaging Operations (Ops) infrastructure platform, has announced the successful closure of its $3 million seed round. Led by Mercury and supported by Atento Capital, Uncorrelated Ventures, Stout Street Capital, and Yellow Rocks, this funding will drive Volt's product development and strategic team expansion.

SMS Market Growth and Challenges:

• Market Growth: The SMS marketplace has seen a significant 20.3% compound annual growth rate from 2019 to 2025.
• Communication Shift: SMS is becoming the preferred communication method among U.S. consumers, boasting average open rates around 98%.
• Regulatory Changes: Recent regulations by U.S. phone carriers aimed at reducing spam have increased complexities for SMS providers and brands.

Volt's Mission and Solution:

• Founding Story: Founded by Martin Langelo Lien and Matt Morfopoulos in mid-2022, Volt was born out of their experience in running a text marketing company and the challenges of SMS compliance.
• Platform Capabilities:
  • Centralized API: Manages multiple SMS providers from one platform.
  • Compliance Management: Guides brands through phone number registration and ensures adherence to carrier standards.
  • Real-Time Insights: Provides real-time deliverability insights to resolve issues efficiently.
• Operational Efficiency: Reduces engineering hours spent on maintaining SMS infrastructure.

Leadership Insights:

• Martin Langelo Lien, Co-Founder and CEO:
  • "Volt addresses the pressing issue of compliance, helping companies avoid fines and reduce operational costs."
• Matt Morfopoulos, Co-Founder and Head of Growth:
  • "Our goal is to drive awareness and solve our partners' biggest issues in Messaging Ops while supporting carrier goals for a spam-free SMS channel."

Impressive Growth and Partnerships:

• Profitability and Revenue Growth: Achieved operational profitability and over 100% revenue growth in Q1 2024.
• Strategic Partnerships: Collaborates with major programmable communications companies like Twilio, Vonage, Telnyx, and Bandwidth.
• Message Processing: Nearly half a billion messages processed on Volt’s platform.

Investor Support:

• Heath Butler, Venture Partner at Mercury Fund:
  • "Volt's disciplined growth and their solution to developer time waste in SMS deliverability and compliance are impressive."
• Salil Deshpande, General Partner at Uncorrelated Ventures:
  • "Volt delivers efficiency, automation, and cost-savings, filling a critical infrastructure gap in the SMS industry."

Volt's $3 million seed round marks a significant milestone in its mission to streamline SMS Messaging Operations. With robust support from investors and a commitment to enhancing compliance and efficiency, Volt is poised to lead the way in SMS infrastructure solutions.

Led by Raven Indigenous Capital Partners, Telegraph Hill Capital, and Ripple Ventures—funding will fuel company's mission to automate and simplify data cleaning

Artemis, a pioneering technology startup focused on data preparation and quality, has announced the successful closure of its $1.5 million pre-seed funding round. Led by Raven Indigenous Capital Partners, with participation from Telegraph Hill Capital, Ripple Ventures, and other angel investors, the funds will drive Artemis' mission to simplify data cleaning and enhance accessibility for both technical and non-technical users.

Company Vision and Founding:

• Founders: Josh Gray and William Shi founded Artemis in 2022.
• Mission: To create an intuitive platform enabling teams to build, explore, and automate data-cleaning tasks using autonomous AI agents.
• Platform Capabilities:
  • Drag-and-Drop Interface: Easily manipulate AI agents on a user-friendly canvas.
  • Deployment: AI agents can be deployed within an organization's data warehouse.
  • Efficiency: Accelerates data-cleaning processes by up to 50 times.

Importance of Clean Data:

• Market Need: Clean and accessible data is crucial for organizations leveraging AI.
• Current Tools: Existing tools are inadequate for scaling data cleaning to meet the increasing demand for insights and AI products.
• Artemis Solution: Artemis addresses these challenges by offering a scalable and efficient data preparation platform.

Leadership Insights:

• Josh Gray, Co-Founder:
  • "Organizations with clean and accessible data will lead in AI. Artemis transforms data cleaning, enabling faster and more efficient scaling of data preparation tasks."
• Althea Wishloff, General Partner at Raven Indigenous Capital Partners:
  • "We support Artemis for its revolutionary data technology and alignment with our mission to empower Indigenous entrepreneurs."
• Luis Gutierrez Roy, Managing General Partner at Telegraph Hill Capital:
  • "Clean data is crucial for scaling AI products. Artemis' innovative platform and team are essential partners for us."

Current Impact and Future Goals:

• Successful Engagements: Proof-of-concept projects with Matter Inc. (e-commerce growth platform) and AlayaCare (home and community-based care technology).
• Market Expansion: Positioned to serve a broader range of clients in B2B e-commerce and healthcare markets.
• Indigenous Leadership: Proudly led by Indigenous co-founder, Josh Gray, with a commitment to innovation and market penetration.

The $1.5 million pre-seed funding empowers Artemis to continue innovating in data preparation and cleaning. With strong investor support, Artemis is poised to revolutionize data management, driving efficiency and accessibility in the AI landscape.

Automatically convert creator-generated content into dynamic digital ad assets that can be served across all digital media channels

Clinch, the leader in dynamic ad serving and personalization, and Linqia, a premier influencer marketing partner, have announced a strategic partnership. This collaboration aims to provide advertisers with a comprehensive solution to create, scale, and optimize creator content across various media channels, including programmatic display, online video, connected TV (CTV), and digital out-of-home (DOOH).

Market Context:

• Creator Economy Growth: The creator economy is projected to reach approximately $24 billion by the end of 2024. Brands are leveraging this growth to engage deeper with their audiences.
• Challenges: Scaling creator-generated content across media channels has been challenging due to the fragmented nature of these platforms. Clinch and Linqia's partnership addresses these challenges by enabling omnichannel media activation.

Partnership Highlights:

1. Unified Platform Integration:

• Linqia's Role: Connects brands with content creators and influencers, producing high-quality, brand-safe content through a streamlined briefing process.
• Clinch's Role: Integrates this content into Flight Control, Clinch's omnichannel campaign activation platform, which supports dynamic ad templates and real-time optimization.

2. Enhanced Ad Performance:

• Dynamic Personalization: Creator content is dynamically populated with elements such as products, messaging, and shoppable opportunities.
• Optimal Delivery: Flight Control's ad server ensures the best creative output for each impression, enhancing engagement and relevance.

3. Real-Time Insights and Optimization:

• Engagement Data: Granular insights from ad performance are used to continuously optimize campaigns, informing future strategies for creative production, media planning, and audience targeting.

Benefits for Advertisers:

Prevent Ad Fatigue: Maintain campaign performance with a constant influx of high-quality creator content. Rapid Cultural Adaptation: Quickly respond to cultural moments with streamlined workflows and rapid dynamic optimizations. Relevant Ad Experiences: Deliver tailored ad experiences with dynamic elements reflecting real-time circumstances like weather, live events, and product promotions. Engaging Shoppable Ads: Activate interactive and user-centric ad formats to drive engagement and sales. Valuable Insights: Gain unique engagement insights to refine creative and media strategies in real-time.

The partnership between Clinch and Linqia is set to transform the landscape of omnichannel advertising by seamlessly integrating dynamic, high-performing creator content across media channels. This innovation empowers advertisers to build relevant and engaging brand experiences, maximizing the value of their creative and media investments.

New integration unlocks powerful Weave features to improve vision therapy patient experiences

Weave, an all-in-one experience platform for small- and medium-sized healthcare businesses, has announced its integration with InfiniteVT, a cloud-based software tailored for vision therapy providers. This collaboration aims to provide optometry and vision therapy practices with a comprehensive solution that enhances patient care and satisfaction through advanced practice management and patient engagement tools.

Integration Benefits:

The integration of Weave with InfiniteVT offers numerous features designed to streamline operations and improve patient experiences:

1. Appointment Reminders: Automated appointment reminders help keep schedules full and reduce no-shows. Practices can ensure patients are consistently reminded of their appointments, thereby improving attendance rates and operational efficiency.

2. Automated Data Sync: Daily updates from the InfiniteVT database keep patient contact and appointment information current in Weave. This ensures that practices always have up-to-date information, reducing administrative burden and enhancing communication accuracy.

3. Reviews Auto-texting: Practices can customize and schedule automated texts to solicit reviews from patients after their appointments. Building a strong online presence and reputation becomes easier, as positive patient feedback is actively encouraged and managed.

4. Save the Date Reminders: Automate reminders sent shortly after an appointment is scheduled so patients can easily add it to their calendars. This feature helps patients remember their appointments and reduces the likelihood of missed sessions.

Impact on Vision Therapy Practices:

The integration of Weave with InfiniteVT is specifically designed to address the unique needs of vision therapy patients and providers. By combining Weave's robust patient engagement tools with InfiniteVT's specialized vision therapy management software, practices can experience several key benefits:

• Enhanced Patient Care: Automated reminders and streamlined communication improve patient adherence to therapy schedules, leading to better health outcomes.
• Improved Workflow Efficiency: Automated data syncing and scheduling features reduce the administrative workload, allowing staff to focus more on patient care.
• Increased Patient Satisfaction: Consistent and personalized communication through automated texts and reminders fosters a positive patient experience.
• Strengthened Online Presence: Automated review solicitation helps build and maintain a strong online reputation, attracting new patients and retaining existing ones.

The integration between Weave and InfiniteVT represents a significant advancement for optometry and vision therapy practices, offering a seamless and comprehensive solution to enhance patient care and operational efficiency. By leveraging Weave’s patient engagement tools and InfiniteVT’s specialized software, practices can provide exceptional service and foster lasting patient relationships.

• Introduces Canva Enterprise, a new subscription to meet rapidly growing demand and adoption by large organizations

• Unveils biggest redesign in more than a decade, launching new experience designed for work

• Introduces Canva Courses and Work Kits, a range of new workplace learning products and services

• Bolsters ubiquitous Visual Suite and Magic Studio products with suggested editing, supercharged video editing, new AI capabilities, and a range of apps and integrations

• Doubles down on professional design, extending newly acquired Affinity to millions

Canva, the world's leading all-in-one visual communication platform, announces its biggest overhaul in a decade and a strategic focus on the enterprise sector at its first international Canva Create event in Los Angeles. With a range of new workplace products and services, Canva aims to redefine how millions of people work by empowering organizations to design effortlessly.

Key Highlights:

• Revamped Experience: Canva unveils a revamped platform alongside a suite of new products tailored for workplaces, marking the platform's biggest overhaul in ten years.

• Focus on Enterprise: Recognizing the growing importance of visual communication in the workplace, Canva accelerates its enterprise strategy to cater to the needs of large organizations.

• Visual Economy Report Findings: Canva's latest Visual Economy Report highlights the increasing demand for design skills among non-design professionals, with 92% of business leaders expecting employees to possess design skills.

• User Growth: With more than 185 million monthly active users and over $2.3 billion in annualized revenue, Canva has experienced rapid user growth, attracting over 95 million new users in just 18 months.

Canva Enterprise:

• Scalable Growth: Canva Enterprise offers scalable cloud storage and seat allocation to meet the needs of global organizations, enabling multiple teams to collaborate securely.

• IP and Cost Consolidation: By consolidating design, content production, AI, and collaboration tools, Canva Enterprise streamlines operations while reducing costs and complexity.

• Advanced Brand Controls: Robust brand management features ensure brand consistency across all communications, with controls to manage access and sharing permissions.

New Canva UI:

• Streamlined Editing: A redesigned editing toolbar and customizable homepage enhance productivity, with features like one-click background remover and Magic Studio AI tools now more accessible.

• Simpler Collaboration: Improved navigation and collaboration tools simplify workflows, allowing teams to work more efficiently and effectively.

Tailored Tools for Every Team:

• Canva Work Kits: Industry-specific collections of templates enable teams to scale output effortlessly, with resources customized for marketing, HR, sales, and creative departments.

• Canva Courses: A new offering allows organizations to create interactive courses from existing designs, facilitating workplace learning and development.

Magic Studio AI Upgrades:

• Enhanced Capabilities: Magic Studio AI capabilities are expanded to include text-to-graphic generation, improved presentation design, and advanced photo editing features.

• Video Enhancements: AI-powered Highlights and Enhance Voice features enhance video editing capabilities, making it easier to create engaging content.

Affinity Integration:

• Full-Stack Solution: Canva's acquisition of Affinity transforms the platform into a comprehensive solution for all designers, offering advanced editing options and native ARM support.

• Free Access for Eligible Users: Teachers, schools, and non-profits can sign up to access Affinity for free, expanding Canva's commitment to providing accessible design tools.

Canva's latest innovations and enterprise-focused strategy underscore its commitment to democratizing design and simplifying visual communication for organizations worldwide. With a revamped platform, tailored workplace solutions, and expanded AI capabilities, Canva is poised to redefine how teams collaborate and create in the digital age.

Enterprise leaders recognize the potential of unstructured data to boost operational efficiency, but expertise gap hinders progress

Qlik's recent survey sheds light on the untapped potential of unstructured data and the challenges enterprises face in leveraging it effectively. Despite recognizing its significance, organizations struggle with expertise gaps and integration issues. This article explores the findings of the survey and how enterprises are addressing these hurdles to harness the power of unstructured data with AI.

Key Insights:

• Untapped Potential: Enterprises acknowledge the significant potential of unstructured data for enhancing operational efficiency and driving insights. However, many struggle to leverage this resource effectively due to expertise gaps and insufficient tools.

• GenAI Adoption: Interest in leveraging generative AI (GenAI) for unstructured data is high, but investment remains modest. Organizations seek solutions that seamlessly integrate AI into existing analytics environments without requiring extensive skillsets or technology overhauls.

• Top Priorities: Data privacy, compliance concerns, and integration issues dominate enterprise priorities when evaluating vendors for unstructured data initiatives. Cost, system integration, and governance features outweigh vendor reputation in decision-making.

• Operational Efficiency: A majority of respondents see unstructured data as a key driver for improving operational efficiency, while fewer believe it can drive innovation. Use cases primarily revolve around enhancing search and query tools for internal documents.

• Challenges with Traditional Tools: Traditional enterprise search tools are deemed insufficient for maximizing the value of vast document libraries. Most efforts to leverage unstructured data remain in early or pilot stages, highlighting the need for specialized tools and expertise.

Expert Perspective:

Erik Bradley, Chief Strategist & Director of Research at Enterprise Technology Research, emphasizes the critical challenge facing enterprises: the expertise gap in harnessing the full potential of GenAI for unstructured data. To capitalize on opportunities, organizations must invest in bridging this knowledge gap and seamlessly integrating advanced AI capabilities into existing analytics frameworks.

Qlik's survey underscores the significant opportunity presented by unstructured data for driving insights and operational efficiency. Despite challenges such as expertise gaps and integration issues, enterprises are increasingly recognizing the value of leveraging AI to unlock the full potential of unstructured data. By addressing these hurdles and investing in advanced AI capabilities, organizations can position themselves for success in the data-driven era.

Backed by Heavybit and Stanford, Userfront has released the definitive auth and identity platform for growing SaaS companies

Userfront, a pioneer in authentication and identity management, announces a $5.3 million seed funding round led by Heavybit and the general availability of its platform for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) providers. With a focus on empowering SaaS companies to optimize revenue through efficient identity management, Userfront offers a comprehensive solution that addresses the diverse needs of startups, freemium organizations, and Fortune 500 enterprises.

Key Highlights:

• Streamlined Identity Management: Userfront's platform caters to the full spectrum of SaaS use cases, including seats, invite flows, access control, data residency, and compliance. By prioritizing identity management, businesses can unlock revenue opportunities and maintain a competitive edge.

• Revenue Optimization: Userfront facilitates incremental revenue growth by enabling seamless feature deployment, tier upgrades, and customization for enterprise clients. The platform helps rescue at-risk customer accounts and modernizes identity systems for enhanced scalability.

• Migration Assistance: For companies transitioning from basic identity systems to advanced solutions, Userfront offers a migration assistant to expedite the process. This feature ensures a smooth transition, minimizing disruptions and maximizing operational efficiency.

• Comprehensive Features: Userfront's platform offers stringent compliance adherence, customizable authentication flows, centralized user management, and accelerated feature deployment. The flexible pricing model scales with customer needs, catering to startups and Fortune 500 enterprises alike.

• Testimonials: Industry leaders, including Pay.com.au, attest to the efficacy of Userfront in simplifying identity management and facilitating seamless transitions from legacy systems. The platform's user-centric approach has led to significant business growth and enhanced customer satisfaction.

• Investor Perspective: Heavybit, the lead investor in Userfront's seed round, recognizes the critical role of identity management in driving SaaS success. The innovative approach of Userfront's platform aligns with Heavybit's vision of empowering software companies to unlock their full potential.

Userfront's seed funding round and platform launch mark a significant milestone in the realm of authentication and identity management for SaaS providers. With a robust suite of features, tailored pricing, and a focus on revenue optimization, Userfront empowers businesses to streamline identity management processes, drive revenue growth, and stay ahead in a competitive market landscape.

Advanced AI and intelligent automation render traditional listings management obsolete

SOCi, Inc., the CoMarketing Cloud for multi-location enterprises, has launched Genius Search, a revolutionary application designed to transform local search optimization. Leveraging top AI models, Genius Search automates data analytics and optimization, transcending traditional listings management tools.

Challenges with Traditional Listings Management:

• Outdated Methods: Simply ensuring accurate location data across numerous low-impact directories no longer meets modern business needs.
• Evolving Search Behaviors: Consumer search behaviors and ranking algorithms are rapidly changing, requiring more dynamic and responsive optimization strategies.

Genius Search Capabilities:

• AI-Driven Optimization: Analyzes top local-search ranking factors and real-time local consumer activity, including search behavior, business reviews, and social media engagement.
• Dynamic Adjustments: Continuously optimizes each location's online presence across major local search platforms, including new generative search results.
• High-Impact Recommendations: Delivers and executes hundreds of thousands of location-based recommendations with a single click, enhancing visibility and ROI.

Key Features & Benefits:

1. World-Class Listings Management: Advanced data health capabilities ensure accurate listings on impactful local search networks.
2. Real-Time Data Analysis: Functions like a data scientist at each location, automating the analysis of local data and consumer activity.
3. Proactive Optimization Recommendations: Provides actionable insights and ongoing recommendations tailored to each location.
4. One-Click Task Automation: Enables brands to automate the execution of high-impact, locally-tailored optimizations, saving time and effort.

Leadership Insights:

• Afif Khoury, CEO of SOCi:
  • "Genius Search effectively does the work of 1,000 marketers, saving brands hundreds of hours and delivering maximum visibility and ROI."
• Kristin Ratliff, Branding Specialist for Kumon North America:
  • "Genius Search makes it easy to localize listings and provides unprecedented visibility into search optimization."

Genius Search by SOCi offers a groundbreaking approach to local search optimization, empowering businesses to enhance their digital visibility and achieve superior results. By automating data analysis and optimization, Genius Search positions brands for success in the ever-evolving landscape of local search.