Producer and actor Issa Rae is expanding her already impressive portfolio by getting into the streaming data and analytics business.
The “Insecure” star has taken a minority stake in Streamlytics, an L.A.-based startup led by serial tech entrepreneur Angela Benton, Variety reports. The company aims to “democratize access to streaming media data — with a specific focus on providing data that better reflects the usage of people of color,” the publication writes.
Via fastcompany.com:
Streamlytics analyzes what consumers who’ve opted into its services are streaming and then issues a license to those consumers to purchase their data that the company can sell to studios, marketers, etc.
Streamlytics also has a consumer-facing application, Clture, that aims to help minority consumers own and monetize their data.
“As streaming services become the standard for how people consume content and information, tools and companies like Streamlytics are necessary for transparency and consumer ownership,” Rae said in a statement. “Angela’s drive and innovative spirit is the reason why she is a pioneer in the tech space and why I’m excited to partner with her in this endeavor.”
Benton’s previous companies include BlackWeb 2.0, a media platform for Black techies, and NewME, “an entrepreneurship education program, serving early stage business founders and their teams through mentorship, specialized curriculums, and for those companies chosen– capital investment.” The company has helped raise more than $47 million in funding.
Benton launched Streamlytics, an analytics firm that tracks video and audio consumption, in 2018 as a way to democratize “access to streaming media data for both users and companies who want to leverage it.” She has not revealed how much the company has raised to date or the amount of Rae’s stake.
“We’re in a unique moment in time where we have leverage as a community because of our power online and the tides turning in consumers’ favor for data ownership and portability,” Benton said in a blog post. “Communities of color already do so many things well, but without owning our data in a tangible way we’ll simply become slaves in a society built off our backs, again.”
Regarding Rae’s investment, Benton said, “Having Issa involved as an owner is beyond exciting. Her pioneering work as both a creator and as a businesswoman creating digital-first content that has transcended the internet-only medium aligns seamlessly with our company’s core values on ownership.”
