KERV.ai Raises Series B to Power AI-Driven Contextual Commerce Across Video

John Brown

Member
AI-Powered Commerce Solutions.jpg

KERV.ai Series B funding has been secured as the company announced a successful close of its Series B round, led by Coral Tree Partners, to accelerate the adoption of its AI-powered contextual commerce platform for video.

Why This Raise Marks a Turning Point​

KERV.ai, based in Austin, is known for its advanced object-level video metadata technology. It analyzes every frame in a video, identifies objects, and enriches content with contextual intelligence. This enables video ads that are not just passive but interactive and shoppable allowing viewers to click, explore, and buy products seen on screen.

With the new funding, KERV.ai plans to invest heavily in R&D, talent, and infrastructure to scale these AI-driven commerce capabilities globally. The company also aims to deepen strategic partnerships and expand into new markets where its shoppable and performance-focused video format can drive measurable outcomes.

What KERV.ai Brings to the Table​

  • Object-Level Intelligence: KERV's proprietary technology recognizes objects in video frames and links them to relevant commerce opportunities.
  • Shoppable Video Across Platforms: Their solutions work on both CTV and online video, powering interactive and transaction-enabled video ads.
  • Contextual Targeting & First-Party Data: By capturing detailed video metadata, KERV enables precise targeting without relying solely on third-party data.
  • Performance Measurement: Because their video ads are interactive, brands and publishers can measure direct engagement, conversion, and ROI.

Why Investors Are All In​

Coral Tree Partners, a private equity firm focused on media and technology, led the raise. They believe KERV.ai is uniquely positioned at the convergence of content, commerce, and contextual intelligence, a space they see as critical to the next phase of video monetization.

According to Alan Resnikoff, Partner at Coral Tree:

“KERV.ai has built a proprietary technology that combines creative storytelling, commerce activation, and data-driven performance … We believe this team is poised to lead the convergence of content, commerce and contextual intelligence.”

From KERV.ai's side, CEO Gary Mittman emphasized that video remains a powerful medium for both storytelling and commerce:

“With Coral Tree's partnership, we'll continue to scale our contextual commerce and AI video-intelligence solutions … shaping the future of outcomes-based interactive storytelling.”

Market & Strategic Implications​

  1. CTV + Commerce Tailwinds: As connected TV (CTV) usage grows, the demand for monetizable, interactive video formats is rising. KERV.ai is well-positioned to capture this shift.
  2. Data-Driven Engagement: By weaving object-level metadata into video content, brands can target and retarget users with more relevance moving beyond generic ad formats.
  3. Performance Over Impressions: Interactive video shifts the measurement paradigm: instead of just views, success is measured in clicks, engagement, and transactions.
  4. Scalable Creative: Publishers and agencies can deploy dynamic, shoppable video formats without heavily restructuring their supply chain or content creation workflows.

Challenges to Navigate​

  • Technical Complexity: Analyzing video at the frame level and linking objects to commerce requires significant infrastructure and model accuracy.
  • Adoption Hurdles: Brands and agencies must adapt to new creative workflows and invest in interactive video assets.
  • Consumer Experience: Ensuring shoppable video is intuitive, relevant, and not intrusive is critical for adoption.
  • Privacy & Data: As video metadata and first-party targeting grow, handling user data responsibly becomes increasingly important.

The Road Ahead​

With its Series B backing, KERV.ai is betting on explosive growth in contextual commerce within video. Upcoming priorities include:

  • Scaling its engineering and data science team to support more advanced AI and global deployment
  • Expanding partnerships with publishers, platforms, and retail media networks
  • Launching new tools that make it easier for advertisers to build interactive, shoppable video content
  • Exploring new monetization models, particularly in FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) and CTV environments
If KERV.ai executes, it could reshape how brands, publishers, and platforms think about video not just as a medium for attention, but as a direct channel for commerce and measurable business outcomes.

Explore MarTech News for the latest marketing trends, success stories, and expert insights to stay ahead in the industry.

Read related news - https://martech-news.com/searchstax...te-fast-500-for-ai-powered-search-innovation/
 
Top