Foresight Group, a regional private equity and infrastructure investment manager, has made a £3 million investment in Ad Signal, a provider of content intelligence for the media and entertainment industry.
Foresight’s investment will allow the company to accelerate the rollout of new products and expand its commercial footprint, capitalising on growing demand from broadcasters, platforms and post-production houses.
Tom Toumazis MBE will join the team as non-executive chair, bringing a wealth of experience in the media and entertainment industry, as well as being involved with several early-stage technology businesses.
Based in York, the company was founded by Tom Dunning and Mike Duffy in 2018. Since then, it has experienced significant growth and broadened into a suite of proprietary tools designed to help customers remove duplicate content, stay compliant, and reduce digital storage needs.
Improving digital sustainability is a core focus for Ad Signal, with its tools lowering its customers’ storage requirements, providing associated carbon reduction.
Ad Signal works with major names including Sky, Clearcast and the Broadcasters Audience Research Board.
Tom Dunning, founder and CEO, Ad Signal, said: “This investment is a major milestone for Ad Signal and a strong endorsement of the vision we’ve built over the last few years.
“With Foresight’s support, we can supercharge the development of our technology and bring new products to market faster. Watch this space – we are about to set a new standard for how content could be understood with a sustainability-focused approach.”
Samir Rea, investment manager at Foresight Group, said: “We are delighted to partner with Tom and the whole team at Ad Signal on what we believe will be an exciting journey. The combination of a compelling commercial opportunity, whilst also lowering customers’ carbon requirements, hopefully makes this a promising investment for Foresight.”
Tom Toumazis, non-executive chair, Ad Signal, said: “What drew me to Ad Signal was the clarity of its mission and the industry-wide challenges it’s solving – ones I’ve faced first-hand throughout my career in media.
“From improving how content is monetised to reducing the cost and environmental impact of storage, the team is tackling issues that matter commercially and sustainably. I’m excited to support the business in its next phase of growth alongside Foresight Group.”
