Pixoneye gets £6m funding to improve phone snaps analysis

Pixoneye detects someone's interests by searching through their photo album - AP

A start-up that uses software to analyse the pictures on your smartphone to allow retailers to send you tailored adverts has raised £6m in funding from leading UK venture capital fund Octopus Ventures.

Pixoneye, based in London and Tel Aviv, received the funding for its on-device phone software that looks through users’ photos, location and activities to predict their interests and characteristics.

It then tells companies these predictions to send you adverts, special offers and loyalty rewards With the Series A investment, Pixoneye hopes to improve its “deep learning” code to predict users’ forthcoming life events, so that brands can then engage with customers at relevant times.

Ofri Ben Porat, chief executive and founder of Pixoneye, said: “Consumers want more personalisation, privacy and control. We’ve pioneered the use of artificial intelligence to deliver valuable and secure outcomes for consumers so that every consumer intention is met with an intelligent brand interaction, highly relevant to the individual’s circumstances and stage of life.

“We’re at a tipping point of AI, where [it] will increasingly become commonplace and synonymous with giving consumers better choice, optimised pricing and more autonomy.”