Qortex secured $10M in Seed funding in 2023, led by GFT Ventures, to advance its Intelligent Video Analytics (IVA) technology. The 13-slide deck focuses heavily on the 'On-Stream' product, which uses AI to identify specific 'moments' in video—such as actions, feelings, or products—and serves contextually relevant ad overlays. By moving away from interruptive pre-roll and mid-roll ads, Qortex claims significant performance gains, including a 2.3x improvement in click-through rates for Activision Blizzard. The deck successfully establishes the team's industry credibility and the platform's tech…
Key takeaways
- The global AI video analytics market is projected to grow from $18.11 billion in 2023 to $75.35 billion by 2028 (Slide 4).
- Qortex reports a 2.3x better engagement rate for Activision Blizzard compared to traditional pre-roll and mid-roll ads (Slide 8).
- The platform achieved 6.8x better viewability on Viant's network compared to traditional display ads (Slide 8).
- The company's core technology, On-Stream, provides smart overlays for CTV, Web Video, and In-Game environments (Slide 7).
- Qortex operates as an Omni-Channel Marketplace, sitting between Demand Side Platforms (DSPs) and Video Publishers (Slide 11).
- The team consists of 22 employees as of the 2023 deck, with founders Zack Rosenberg and James Altschuler (Slide 3).
- The advisory board includes high-profile industry veterans from The CW Network, Google/YouTube, and Index Exchange (Slide 10).
- The deck identifies a $28 billion market opportunity in Connected TV (CTV) advertising for the current year (Slide 12).
Executive Summary: The Shift to Contextual Video Intelligence
Qortex entered the market at a pivotal moment when the advertising industry was grappling with the decline of third-party cookies and the increasing consumer frustration with interruptive video ads. Their 2023 Seed deck, which facilitated a $10M raise, centers on the concept of 'Intelligent Video Analytics' (IVA). The narrative is simple: if you can understand what is happening inside a video frame-by-frame, you can place ads that feel like part of the content rather than a barrier to it.
The deck is concise at 13 slides, leaning heavily on the technical integration of their marketplace and the high-profile nature of their advisory board. While it lacks the granular financial data often seen in Series A decks, for a Seed round, it effectively communicates a 'first-mover' advantage in the rapidly growing Connected TV (CTV) and AI video sectors.
Slide 1: Title and Branding
The opening slide is minimalist, featuring the Qortex logo and the company name. It establishes a clean, professional visual identity that persists throughout the deck. There is no tagline on the cover, which is a missed opportunity to immediately define the value proposition, but the branding is consistent with a high-tech B2B AI firm.
Slide 2: Our Mission
Slide 2 defines the company's purpose: "Helping Businesses Achieve the Deepest Understanding of Video using Artificial Intelligence (IVA - Intelligent Video Analytics)." This slide sets the stage for the technical nature of the product. It positions Qortex not just as an ad-tech company, but as a data intelligence company that uses video as its primary source of truth.
Slide 3: The Team
The team slide introduces founders Zack Rosenberg (CEO) and James Altschuler (COO), alongside CTO James Tammaro. The slide notes the company was founded in 2020 and has 22 employees . Crucially, it lists industry awards from AdExchanger, The Drum, and MarTech, which serves as early external validation of their technology. The subtitle "Industry Veterans. First-Movers." emphasizes their experience in a relatively new niche.
Slide 4: Market Opportunity
Qortex uses third-party data from Mordor Intelligence and Technavio to size the market. The slide states the global AI video analytics market was valued at $18.11 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow to $75.35 billion by 2028 , representing a 33% CAGR . The inclusion of the Technavio graphic adds detail, noting that 38% of growth will come from the Americas and that the market is currently "fairly fragmented," which supports the case for a new dominant player.
Slide 5 & 6: The Solution and Media Focus
Slide 5 acts as a transition, stating a "Focus on the Media Sector." Slide 6 dives into the mechanics of their IVA solution. It breaks the technology down into three pillars: Categorization (identifying moments, feelings, and faces), Correlation (using 'On-Stream' to connect audience actions to video context), and Curation (choosing content to maximize results). A visual example shows a soccer match with a non-intrusive overlay for a Cristiano Ronaldo jersey, demonstrating the 'moment-based' advertising in action.
Slide 7: Product Deep Dive - On-Stream
This slide focuses on the flagship product, On-Stream . It lists three primary benefits: Less Interruptive (ads served without stopping content), Contextually Relevant (no cookies or consent needed because the AI matches the ad to the video content), and Better Performance . The mention of "Patent-Pending" in the footer is a key detail for investors looking for defensible intellectual property.
Slide 8: Traction and Case Studies
This is arguably the strongest slide in the deck. It provides concrete proof of concept with two major names. Activision Blizzard saw 2.3x better engagement and a 2.3x improvement in CTRs compared to traditional pre-roll and mid-roll ads. Viant achieved 6.8x better viewability . These metrics move the conversation from theoretical AI benefits to measurable business outcomes.
Slide 9: Future Roadmap
Titled "On the Horizon," this slide outlines the expansion strategy. It explains that Qortex has created a new dataset from video called "moments." The next phase involves expanding into a platform for managing in-video experiences including commerce, research, recommendations, and interactivity . This suggests the company views advertising as just the first application of a much broader video data platform.
Slide 10: Advisory Board
For a Seed-stage company, this advisory board is exceptionally high-caliber. It includes Mark Pedowitz (Former CEO of The CW), Matt Barash (SVP of Index Exchange), and Claude Ruibal (Former Global Head of Sports Partnerships at Google/YouTube). Having these individuals listed as "Actively Involved Experts" provides significant credibility in the complex world of media buying and brand safety.
Slide 11: The Programmatic Marketplace
This slide explains the technical 'plumbing.' It shows how Qortex sits in the middle of a transaction that happens in "less than a second." The flow moves from the DSP (Demand Side Platform) to Qortex, which matches the bid to a "moment," and finally to the Video Player/Publisher. This clarifies that Qortex is not trying to replace the existing ad-tech stack but is instead an additive layer that enables a new type of inventory.
Slide 12: Expansion into CTV
Qortex highlights Connected TV (CTV) as its next big frontier, calling it a $28 billion market . The slide claims Qortex is the "first provider of programmatic overlays in CTV." It also lists a pipeline of major platforms: Hulu, Peacock, DAZN, and Paramount+ . This signals to investors that the company is moving toward the highest-value video inventory available.
Slide 13: Marketplace Validation
The final slide is a placeholder for the company's marketplace partners. While the specific names were removed for the public version of the deck, the categories— Advertisers, DSPs, Video Players, and Publishers —indicate that they have secured partnerships across the entire supply chain. This reinforces the "Omni-Channel" claim made earlier in the deck.
What Works in the Qortex Deck
Clear Performance Metrics: The 2.3x CTR and 6.8x viewability figures on Slide 8 are specific, impressive, and tied to recognizable brands like Activision Blizzard. · Strategic Positioning: By emphasizing that their AI does not require cookies or audience consent (Slide 7), they address a major pain point in the current regulatory and privacy environment. · Advisory Strength: The advisory board (Slide 10) is perfectly aligned with the company's target sectors (Media, AdTech, Sports), which mitigates execution risk in the eyes of investors. · Market Timing: The focus on CTV (Slide 12) aligns with the fastest-growing segment of the advertising market, making the $10M raise feel timely and necessary for scaling.
What is Missing from the Qortex Deck
The Ask: There is no slide detailing how much money is being raised (though we know it was $10M from catalogue facts) or how those funds will be allocated between R&D, sales, and operations. · Unit Economics: While the deck shows that the ads perform well for brands, it does not explain the take-rate or revenue model for Qortex itself. How does the company make money on each transaction? · Competition: The deck mentions the market is fragmented but does not name specific competitors or explain how Qortex's AI is technically superior to other video recognition startups. · Financial Projections: There are no forward-looking revenue targets or historical growth charts. For a $10M Seed round, investors usually expect to see a path to $10M+ ARR.
Founder Lessons: What to Copy
The 'Moment' Framework: Qortex does a great job of turning a complex technical process (AI video analysis) into a simple, marketable concept: "Moments." Founders should look for ways to brand their technical output as a proprietary asset. · Ecosystem Mapping: Slide 11 is a masterclass in showing where a startup fits into a complex industry. By mapping themselves between DSPs and Publishers, they show they are 'plug-and-play' rather than 'rip-and-replace.' · Third-Party Validation: Using industry awards (Slide 3) and high-profile advisors (Slide 10) creates a 'halo effect' that makes a young company seem more established than its founding date might suggest. · Visual Proof: The use of a soccer match overlay (Slide 6) and a pizza ad overlay (Slide 12) allows the investor to immediately visualize the product without needing a live demo during the first read-through.
Frequently asked questions
- What is Qortex's core product?
- Qortex's core product is 'On-Stream,' an Intelligent Video Analytics (IVA) solution. It uses AI to identify 'moments' within video content—such as specific actions, emotions, or products—and places contextually relevant, non-interruptive ad overlays over those moments. This allows brands to advertise without stopping the video content, which Qortex claims leads to higher engagement and better performance than traditional pre-roll ads.
- How does Qortex integrate with the existing advertising ecosystem?
- Qortex functions as an Omni-Channel Marketplace for programmatic in-video advertising. According to Slide 11, it sits between the Demand Side Platform (DSP), which executes media buying, and the Video Player/Publisher, which supplies inventory. Qortex receives bids from DSPs, matches them to specific 'moments' in the video content, and then triggers the ad display on the publisher's player in real-time.
- What evidence of traction does the deck provide?
- The deck provides specific performance metrics from two major partners on Slide 8. It cites a 2.3x improvement in click-through rates (CTRs) for Activision Blizzard compared to traditional ad formats. Additionally, it notes that its ads were seen by 6.8x more people for longer durations on the Viant network compared to standard display ads. The deck also lists a pipeline of major CTV platforms including Hulu, Peacock, and Paramount+.
- Who are the key people behind Qortex?
- The company was founded in 2020 by Zack Rosenberg (CEO) and James Altschuler (COO), with James Tammaro serving as CTO. The team is supported by a heavy-hitting advisory board featuring Mark Pedowitz (former CEO of The CW), Matt Barash (SVP at Index Exchange), and Claude Ruibal (former Global Head of Sports Partnerships at Google/YouTube). As of the deck's publication, the company had 22 employees.
- What are the primary market opportunities identified in the deck?
- Qortex targets two massive markets: the broader AI video analytics market, which is expected to reach $75.35 billion by 2028, and the Connected TV (CTV) advertising market. Slide 12 highlights CTV as the fastest-growing market in advertising, expected to reach $28 billion in the year the deck was produced. The company positions itself as a 'first-mover' in providing programmatic, contextual overlays for this space.
