London-based MUSO‘s technology removes unlicensed digital content while providing data and insights from piracy audiences. Founded in 2009, the startup has raised €4 million in an extension to its €2.9 million 2017 Series A round from Harwell Capital. The investment will be used to expand the company’s sales and marketing team, and increase its foothold in the digital media, gaming, and live broadcast sectors.
The company tracked 190 billion visits to piracy sites throughout 2018. Its data is used by right-holders, broadcasters, sports organisations, and brand advertisers to inform a total view of audience consumption and provide insights into content demand, creation, and monetisation.
Unlike other anti-piracy or content protection outfits, MUSO focuses on pointing out to rights holders and media distributors that piracy audiences are actually untapped opportunities, rather than enemies or criminals. MUSO works with clients including Sony Interactive and IMG to highlight untapped piracy audiences (for example, in different countries) that could be converted into paying customers.
Harwell Capital is a London and Jersey-based VC firm that invests in innovation and new technology. The team looks for proven businesses with exciting proprietary technologies capable of solving real-world problems, and experienced management teams with both vision and the single-minded focus to deliver results.
“Since Harwell Capital’s first investment round nearly two years ago, Andy and the team have delivered significant value to existing and new clients including global leading corporate businesses and trade bodies, transformed the Board to include high-profile growth stage veterans, and expanded the product range and application to significantly ratchet their addressable market. We remain supportive backers,” said Daniel O’Brien, Managing Director at Harwell Capital.
“Harwell has been a hugely supportive investment partner, who provide far more than cash alone to the company,” said Andy Chatterley, CEO and co-founder of MUSO. “They understand our vision and objectives and bring significant advice and acumen to ensure we can execute on our continued growth plans in a most exciting market.”
