Qloo Inc., a startup that claims to be a pioneer in “cultural AI,” said today it has closed on a new funding round worth $25 million.

The Series C round was led by AI Ventures and saw participation from AXA Venture Partners, Elridge and Moderne Ventures. The company said it highlights the already significant contributions it has made to the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence industry.

Qloo is the developer of an AI-driven “insights engine” that delivers extremely accurate behavioral data on consumers, based on more than a half-billion attributes covering topics such as consumer brands, music, film, TV, podcasts, travel and dining. The company has built a number of proprietary AI models that help advertisers to identify trillions of connections between these data points and deliver targeted ads with greater precision than ever before.

Qloo’s product can be used by advertising platforms to generate detailed insights into their audiences and match advertisers with the most relevant audience segment. In this way, it can ensure the ads shown to viewers are highly relevant and optimize engagement and boost conversion rates.

One specific advantage of Qloo’s AI is that it can predict peak interest times for various topics. Using this capability, advertisers can strategically time when their ads are shown to ensure maximum engagement by capturing their target audience at the moment when they’re likely to be most receptive to whatever it is they’re offering.

In other words, Qloo’s technology enables advertisers to deliver personalized ad experiences. By analyzing audience demographics, advertising platforms can select those advertisers whose branding is most perfectly aligned with the preferences of the targeted audience.

And by ensuring only the most relevant ads are shown to consumers, Qloo says, it has been able to generate a 1o-times return on investment for companies such as JCDecaux Group. It also serves brands that include Netflix Inc., Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and Michelin SCA.

Perhaps the best thing about Qloo is that it can identify the most suitable audience for advertisers without relying on any personally identifiable information in the data it analyzes. This allows it to claim it delivers “privacy-friendly ads” that are especially relevant in industries such as financial services, technology and media and publishing, where there is increased demand for more truthful and privacy-compliant ads.

Founder and Chief Executive Alex Elias said his company is a pioneer in terms of merging cultural knowledge with advanced AI algorithms to create a reliable and private source of truth for insights into consumer tastes and behavior. “For over a decade, we have been committed to refining our cultural data science and we are now entering an exhilarating phase of expansion, fueled by the growing importance of privacy and the democratization of AI technology,” Elias said.

Qloo said it will use the funds from today’s round to broaden access to its AI platform, with plans to debut a new, self-service interface for advertisers in small and medium-sized companies, as well as individual advertisers.

Moderne Ventures Partner Liza Benson said she’s backing Qloo because it is a pioneer in the commercialization of AI for predicting consumer tastes. “We’re enthusiastic about supporting its expansion into new addressable markets where its unique capabilities can redefine how industries leverage AI,” she said.

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