Blackbird.AI, a leading provider of AI-driven Narrative and Risk Intelligence solutions, has successfully concluded a Series B funding round, raising $20 million. The funding was led by Ten Eleven Ventures, a prominent cybersecurity investor, with continued support from existing investors Dorilton Capital, Generation Ventures, StartFast Ventures, and Trousdale Ventures. Noteworthy investors such as Paul Kurtz, chief cybersecurity advisor to Splunk, and Richard Clarke, the former “cyber czar” for the U.S. Government, also participated in the round. This latest injection of capital brings Blackbird.AI’s total funding to $32 million.
Disinformation has emerged as a significant global threat, with an estimated annual cost of $78 billion. In particular, publicly traded companies suffer approximately $39 billion in losses each year due to disinformation-related stock market declines. The advent of generative AI exacerbates these concerns, as it enables the unprecedented scalability of disinformation efforts, potentially surpassing the aforementioned figures. As a result, chief communication officers (CCOs), chief information security officers (CISOs), and the intelligence community find themselves on high alert.
Blackbird.AI recognizes that human perception has become a new frontier for cyberattacks, taking the form of misinformation and narrative manipulation. This emerging threat poses risks to various sectors and professionals, including strategic communicators, risk managers, and information security teams. Wasim Khaled, CEO and co-founder of Blackbird.AI, emphasized the importance of understanding and addressing the potential threats posed by perception manipulation, which often go unnoticed. Blackbird.AI aims to foster an environment of trust, safety, and integrity while equipping organizations with strategic leverage and a competitive edge.
Founded in 2019, Blackbird.AI originated within the defense community. Its platform facilitates collaboration between security and communications teams to uncover and track deliberate digital narrative manipulation. It also addresses the proliferation of events in which information threats translate into physical and cyber threats, resulting in financial losses and potentially catastrophic incidents for businesses. These risks span brand reputation, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) matters, as well as supply chain vulnerabilities.
Existing technologies have struggled to detect and mitigate harmful online content, largely due to their inability to identify nuanced indicators within the content and understand the mechanisms of information propagation across networks. Blackbird.AI’s Constellation Platform overcomes these limitations by detecting narratives, assessing associated risks, and analyzing their propagation across more than 25 languages. It employs AI-powered insights to analyze text, images, and memes found on the dark web, social media platforms, news outlets, and other sources. This empowers organizations to respond rapidly to a wide range of attacks, offering access to actionable intelligence.
To date, Blackbird.AI has experienced primarily organic growth and has deployed its mission-critical technology to assist government organizations during critical events, such as the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The company has also collaborated with communications firm Weber Shandwick, where its platform plays a vital role in crisis services. With the new funding, Blackbird.AI plans to scale its sales and marketing efforts to reach a broader customer base. It aims to raise awareness in key industries and drive innovation in enhancing its Constellation Platform and recently launched RAV3N Co-Pilot—an advanced Generative AI reporting module that accelerates insights and recommendations. Furthermore, Blackbird.AI intends to expand its ecosystem through the Blackbird Global Alliance Program.
In the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, the funds will support Blackbird.AI’s regional expansion and customer growth, with Singapore serving as the regional headquarters. In addition to bolstering marketing and customer support efforts, Blackbird.AI will augment its APAC team to ensure a deep understanding of local market dynamics and provide tailored solutions to regional customers. The company also plans to invest in regional partnerships and integrations to enhance its service offerings, creating a more comprehensive solution for organizations operating in the region.
Dave Palmer, General Partner of Ten Eleven Ventures and former co-founder and chief product officer at Darktrace, has joined Blackbird.AI’s board of directors. Palmer emphasized the necessity for global organizations to combat deliberate and accidental disinformation and malicious messaging originating from humans or automated bots, or a combination of both. He stated that traditional online security measures, such as firewalls and cloud defenses, may not suffice in ensuring a safe internet. Blackbird.AI’s superior security solutions transcend infrastructure and application security technologies, aiming to serve and protect the global information ecosystem.
With the additional funding secured, Blackbird.AI is well-positioned to expand its operations, further develop its cutting-edge technology, and fortify its presence in the fight against disinformation.
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