Holler raises $36M to power ‘conversational media’ in your favorite apps – ProWellTech

Roar, described as a “conversational media company” by founder and CEO Travis Montaque, just announced that it has raised $ 36 million in Series B funding.

You may not know what conversational media is, but there’s a good chance you used Holler’s technology. For example, if you’ve added a sticker or GIF to your Venmo payments, Holler actually manages the app’s search and suggestion experience for that media. (You may see a little “powered by Holler” identifier at the bottom of the window.)

Montaque told me that the company started out as a news and video content app before focusing on messaging in 2016. Messaging is “the most important experience for people on the Internet”, because “here you communicate with the people who are closest to us.”

He continued, “It seemed bizarre that we haven’t seen much innovation in the SMS experience since we sent the first text message in 1992.”

That’s why Holler works with partners like PayPal’s Venmo and The Meet Group to integrate more compelling content into the messaging side of their apps – or as Montaque put it, the startup aims to “enrich conversations everywhere”.

Credit: Roar

It has both an art and a science, he said. The art is in creating and curating the best stickers and GIFs, while science takes the form of Holler’s Suggestion AI technology, which recommends the right content based on the user’s conversations and contexts – the stickers and GIFs that you choose send in a dating app is likely to be different from what you would send in a work-related chat. Montaque said this contextual approach allows the company to make smart recommendations in a way that also respects user privacy.

“I believe the future is context, not identity,” he said. “Because I don’t really need to know about Anthony, I just need to know that someone needs lunch. If I know your craving for Mexican food, I don’t need to know every aspect of your last 10 visits to a Mexican restaurant. “

Holler monetizes this content by working with brands like HBO Max, Ikea, and Starbucks to create branded stickers and GIFs that become part of the company’s content library. Montaque said the startup also worked with brands to measure the impact of these campaigns using a variety of metrics.

Holler’s content is now reaching 75 million users each month, compared to 19 million users a year ago, while revenue is up 226%, he said. (Apparently, last year was the first time the company saw significant revenue growth.)

The startup has now raised more than $ 51 million in total. Series B was jointly led by CityRock Venture Partners and New General Market Partners with the participation of Gaingels, Interplay Ventures, Relevance Ventures, Towerview Ventures and WorldQuant Ventures.

“Holler is more than just a breakthrough technology company,” said Oliver Libby, CityRock’s managing partner, in a statement. “Under the visionary leadership of Travis Montaque, Holler bravely stands for a new era of ethics in social media and also reflects the values ​​of diversity, inclusion and belonging.”

Montaque (who wrote a post for ProWellTech as CEO of Black Tech last year about adding diversity to the industry) said Holler will use the funds to further develop its product and advertising model. For one thing, he noticed that while stickers and GIFs were an obvious place to start, the company is now trying to research and create new media formats.

“We want to invent a new paradigm for how we consume content,” he said.