Funds for Social Media and Comment Tracker Respondology

Social media management and intelligence specialist Respondology has closed a $5m Series A-1 round of funding, which it says will accelerate product development, help expand its team and scale go-to-market efforts. Plans include the launch of a third flagship product to join its 'Moderate' and Discover' offerings.

Respondology's Comment Activation Platform operates in more than 100 languages and incorporates the two key products. Moderate protects brands in real time from toxic comments, abuse, spam and bots - the firm's original business; while Discover analyzes comment trends and sentiment in 'a few clicks and 30 seconds' to deliver audience insights and marketing intelligence - and represents a newer, growth area for the company. Clients are in sports, entertainment and consumer goods, with marketing agencies also well represented.

The latest funding comes from Iron Gate Capital, SJF Ventures, Zelkova Ventures, Boulder Heavy Industries and RLB Holdings. The round builds on an $11m Series A secured in 2023 from the same investor group.

'Social media comment streams have become the number one communication channel between brands and their consumers, prospects, followers and fans,' says CEO and co-founder Erik Swain (pictured). 'But with platforms stepping back from enforcement, brands are left to fend for themselves - and they're leaning in more than ever. This is why marketers not only want and need moderation, but also to learn from those social conversations and soon, engage in a personalized way at scale with their audience. This follow-on investment funds Respondology's continued leadership delivering these in-demand solutions to the market.'

Web site: www.respondology.com .