PYLER, a Korean startup specializing in video understanding models and brand safety solutions, has raised 22 billion KRW in bridge investment. This funding reflects the high market value of their proprietary model and brand protection solution for secure YouTube advertising. The investment round saw participation from Stonebridge Ventures, KDB, SV Investment, and KT Investment.

PYLER’s solution, ‘AiD,’ uses AI to analyze the context of content where YouTube ads are displayed and blocks ads from appearing alongside inappropriate content. AiD prevents ads from being shown on content that could harm an advertiser’s brand image, such as adult content, hate speech, fake news, and cult religions. This helps ensure that ads are delivered in a more effective and secure environment.

The challenge with YouTube is the sheer volume of content, making human monitoring nearly impossible and resulting in low control and oversight for advertisers. Investors are keen on how PYLER’s brand safety solution, AiD, can restore this control and oversight to advertisers.

Additionally, a report from January, conducted by KOBACO (Korea Broadcast Advertising Corporation) in collaboration with PYLER, found that 89.5% of consumers consider brand safety important, and 96% would avoid products from advertisers who fail to ensure brand safety. This underscores the significant impact of brand safety on consumer purchasing decisions and brand perception.

PYLER CEO Jae-Ho Oh commented, “In Korea, leading brands and advertising stakeholders like Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motors, Cheil Worldwide, and Innocean have validated and experienced AiD. With this investment, we aim to establish ourselves as the most competitive video understanding company globally, capable of providing end-to-end solutions to enterprises.”

Choi Dong-Yeol, Investment Director at Stonebridge Ventures, and Lee Jong-Hyun, Executive Director, added, “PYLER not only boasts advanced video understanding technology but also excels at identifying and commercializing applications for this technology.”