Introducing NMV's Winter 2023 Investments!

We finished out last year with an exciting set of investments, focused particularly on media tech and civic tech. We're thrilled to share these four amazing start-ups with you, and hope that you will enjoy learning more about them.

Social Currant is a platform and managed service that helps impact organizations work with influencers more effectively.  The company launched as a marketing agency in 2020, focusing on representing youth voices while the founders were in college. They then pivoted to focus on building out tech to make working with influencers accessible for any organization. In 2023 alone, they directed over $1M to creators around causes they care about, engaged almost 4,000 creators, and reached 35M people across issues from social justice to voting. 

In their own words: "Since we were founded, Social Currant has been focused on expanding the progressive space. We're thrilled about the investment from New Media Ventures and how it allows us to continue doing our work and prepare ourselves for 2024. We're further thrilled to be part of such an awesome community that has been focused on investing in the progressive space." Ashwath Narayanan, CEO & Co-Founder of Social Currant

How you can help: Invest in their work. They’re currently raising a $450,000 pre-seed round to meet the incoming demand in 2024.

Learn more: Follow their work on Instagram, X and Linkedin.

Reliabl is a B2B AI infrastructure software that accurately annotates data and builds high-performing AI models for customers across industries - helping them to make better informed, less biased business decisions. Our approach leverages user participation in the data annotation process to improve algorithmic accuracy, reduce AI bias, and increase data transparency.

In their own words: "The Reliabl team is thrilled to be listed among organizations we admire as a fellow New Media Ventures portfolio company. The NMV team recognizes the importance of data transparency solutions like Reliabl in collective efforts to reduce bias in AI, and have given our team the resources and support we need to become a leader in this space." - Annie Brown, Founder & CEO @ Reliabl 

How you can help: They would love to connect with impact organizations and researchers in the ethical AI space, as well as potential customers looking for data transparency solutions and potential investors for their pre-seed round. 

Learn more: Follow them on Linkedin.

Politicking is a sociopolitical mobile platform that serves as a crucial link between disengaged voters and their elected officials. This innovative platform educates voters on candidate selection and provides personalized push notifications for polling precincts, early voting, and wait times. Its mission is to enhance political literacy and bridge gaps in the political sector by disseminating information on candidates, amendments, voter registration, and wait times. 

In their own words: "At Politicking, our mission is to democratize political engagement through innovative technology. Receiving NMV funding is a testament to the shared vision of empowering citizens in the democratic process. This support accelerates our mission, enabling us to harness cutting-edge tools and strategies to foster informed participation and amplify diverse voices in the political arena." - Wen-kuni Ceant, CEO and Co-Founder of Politicking 
How you can help: They are raising and looking for experts in machine learning, AI, and go-to-market strategists. 

Learn more: Follow them on Instagram, X, Facebook and Linkedin.

Legitimate provides an advanced platform for journalists, publishers, and universities, offering a suite of tools to streamline newsroom workflows. With features like an AI-powered text editor and portfolio management, the platform aims to boost productivity and centralize resources. Already serving over 3,000 journalists globally, Legitimate plans to expand to 50,000 users, positioning itself as the LinkedIn for journalists. 

In their own words: "We are thrilled to announce this investment from NMV. With this support, we are poised to accelerate our growth, enhance our services, and welcome a wave of new journalists into the Legitimate community. This investment not only fuels our expansion but also signifies a shared belief in the transformative impact we aspire to make. We are grateful for the trust placed in us by NMV and excited about the incredible journey ahead." - Caoimhe Donnelly, CEO of Legitimate

How you can help: They are looking for introductions to newsrooms or potential investors.
Learn more: Follow them on X and Linkedin.

Interested in joining NMV in supporting these projects? For more information on our investments, contact Phillip Sanders at psanders@newmediaventures.org.

Interested in funding NMV and helping us support more organizations like these? Please reach out to NMV President Carlissia Graham at cgraham@newmediaventures.org

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