Companies are increasingly using video to engage their audiences, a trend that Sherpa Digital Media Inc. perceives as a major revenue opportunity.

The Redwood City, California-based startup has secured $5.5 million as part of a funding round announced today to capitalize on the growing role of multimedia content in the enterprise.

Sherpa offers a platform that enables companies to centrally coordinate video delivery across all the different outreach channels they use. A programming interface makes it possible to plug into each channel, be it internal or external, with relative ease.

Marketers looking to make a better impression on leads could use Sherpa Stream to embed client testimonials into their companies’ websites. Team leaders can employ the platform’s live streaming features to share updates with employees and conduct training sessions. To allow for replays, it also provides the ability to turn a stream into an on-demand video once the presentation is over.

According to Sherpa, the fact that it’s all handled through a single interface makes management easier compared with when content is spread out across multiple systems. One benefit is that users can quickly replace old items if company messaging changes to ensure everything is up-to-date. They also have the ability to centrally monitor how viewers engage with videos.

Sherpa Stream logs key engagement metrics to provide insight into how content can be improved. A company could, for example, check how much time workers typically spend watching training content and adjust the length of streams accordingly. Over on the front end, Sherpa said, the feed is automatically optimized for each user’s device.

Sherpa’s platform has been adopted by major companies such as Intel Corp., Levi Strauss & Co. and the Walt Disney Co. K.C. Watson, the startup’s chief executive, told VentureBeat that the new funding will be invested in developing learning machine features to widen the appeal of the software. The round was led by early stage-fund Benhamou Global Ventures with participation from Rally Ventures and several returning backers.

Image: Unsplash