Investments

Investing in Zenus AI—ethical facial analysis for events & retail

Investments

Investing in Zenus AI—ethical facial analysis for events & retail

Words Founders Factory

July 16th 2024 / 3 min read

The problem

Event organisers invest heavily in conferences and tradeshows, but are often left with limited insights during and after the events. But understanding attendee behaviour and experience is vital for success, while capturing metrics such as impressions, demographics, energy levels, and dwell time is essential for understanding your return on investment.

Retailers face similar challenges. They seek detailed insights into shoppers’ in-store experiences but often rely on inconsistent tracking and surveys. Marketing teams lack clear visibility into shopper demographics and behaviour.

Privacy regulations restrict the use of identifiable data, putting legacy CCTV and video analytics solutions at risk. There's a substantial opportunity for privacy-focused consumer analytics that offer detailed behavioural intelligence while prioritising data minimisation.

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The solution

Zenus AI’s solutions allow organisers to measure and optimise their event operations while generating additional sponsorship revenue streams.

The core technology behind Zenus' solution comprises proprietary AI models that analyse audiences to measure impressions, demographics, energy, and dwell time. This is enabled by their plug-and-play hardware kit that runs onboard processing and encryption.

Using Zenus facial analytics, event organisers can measure the audience's energy by interpreting facial cues such as smiles, frowns, and more.

This enables organisers and retailers to obtain hard data which enables them to improve their event operations, maximise attendee experience, and provide actionable insights to their sponsors. Exhibitors achieve up to 3x their previous ROI by improving their booth design and staff allocation.

The team

Panos Moutafis, Ph.D. (CEO & Co-founder)

Panos (above, middle) is an expert in the field of facial analysis, having worked in the space since 2011 when he started his PhD in Computer Science. He is published across numerous journals, publications, and a book chapter on facial recognition, and is a public speaker and lecturer on the topic of entrepreneurship. He was selected as a top industry influencer for 2023 by the Northstar Meetings Group.

Why we’re excited to invest

Edoardo Gentili, investor at Founders Factory, says: "I believe there's a huge opportunity to invest in AI-driven ethical facial analysis technology, as event organisers and retailers seek deeper user insights which comply with responsible data practices. Founder Panos, an expert in facial analysis technology, has already established Zenus as a market leader in this space, and we look forward to working with the Zenus team to capitalise on their exciting early traction."

What Zenus is looking to gain from the programme

  • Tap into the network of Founders Factory to fuel growth

  • Leverage the FF advice to help position them for the next stage

  • Expand their footprint through partnerships facilitated by FF

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