Insider Brief
- Medal, the AI company behind MedalTV, introduced Highlight, an AI assistant platform designed to simplify user interaction with AI models, making it accessible without complex prompting.
- Highlight’s launch coincides with a $13 million funding round from investors including Horizons Ventures and OMERS Ventures, valuing the company at $333 million post-money.
- Highlight offers seamless integration with Windows and MacOS, contextual capture technology, and aims to become the fastest-growing AI assistant on desktop, prioritizing user privacy and promoting an open AI ecosystem.
PRESS RELEASE — NEW YORK/July 11, 2024/PRNewswire/ — Medal, the innovative AI company behind the popular MedalTV clipping app, today announced the launch of Highlight, its groundbreaking AI assistant platform designed to fundamentally alter how users interact with popular AI models. Medal also announced a $13 million funding round from Horizons Ventures, OMERS Ventures, peak6, and Arcadia Investments, valuing the company at $333 million post-money.
Founded by the team that created MedalTV, which boasts over 1 million daily active users, Highlight is positioning itself as the next evolution in operating systems. The company’s new platform, described as a “capture-based interface and runtime for assistants,” aims to make AI accessible to billions of users by eliminating the need for complex prompting.
Key features of Highlight’s platform include:
- Seamless integration with Windows and MacOS
- Ability to publish web apps as natively running assistants in under a minute
- Contextual capture technology for enhanced AI interactions
- Streamlined cross-platform desktop app development
“Capture is the next OS,” said Pim de Witte, CEO and co-founder of Highlight. “We’re removing barriers between users and AI, making it as simple as clicking a button or asking a question. Our vision is to become the routing layer for all tasks on the OS, connecting users with assistants, models, interfaces, and even other people.”
The company’s impressive team includes Medal co-founders Pim de Witte and Josh Lipson, along with other top industry talent. With its latest funding, Highlight plans to accelerate development and expand its user base, aiming to become the fastest-growing AI assistant on desktop within a year.
Highlight’s innovative approach to AI accessibility and its strong foundation in the consumer space position it as a potential game-changer in the evolving landscape of human-computer interaction.
How it works
Highlight is built on Medal’s industry-leading screen capture and process detection layer technology, which is currently used by more than four million gamers per month. Available for Windows and Mac, Highlight continuously captures — but doesn’t store — what’s on a computer screen locally and allows individuals to choose from various AI apps including ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and others to meet specific needs — becoming a robust, native AI assistant on the desktop, while prioritizing user privacy through opt-in requirements.
Along with the launch, Highlight is rolling out its own custom-built, open APIs that provide AI solutions for a variety of tasks — including meeting transcriptions and the identification of action items in all of a user’s online interactions. Additional custom Highlight apps will be launched in the near future.
Creating an open-ecosystem for developers while maintaining privacy for consumers
Capture technology is set to become the operating system of the future. However, if developments continue on their current course, this capture technology layer will be controlled by Big Tech, who are notoriously tightly guarded about AI developments and the data they use to train their LLMs. Big Tech seeks to lock users in a walled-garden and retain their data for their own purposes.
Because Highlight is platform agnostic, it democratizes the AI model landscape and encourages consumers to use more than just ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot — helping promote market competition. Through Highlight’s APIs, developers will be able to build native, context-aware assistants and create custom models that learn — offering a less-monopolizing approach than current competitors.
Unlike competitors who utilize your data to improve a model, privacy is at the forefront of Highlight’s approach. Highlight operates on a local model. If parameters are small enough, they run on an individual’s device without touching the internet, thereby protecting the user’s data. Highlight also gives users and developers maximum control of their data, allowing them to choose where to send their data. Nothing leaves a user’s screen unless permission is granted.
Developers welcome
To build Highlight’s ecosystem further, the company is extending grants of up to $30,000 for developers, who would also be given access to the Highlight team, as well as office space at the company’s New York office. Those interested can apply HERE.
Highlight is officially available for download. To learn more, visit https://www.highlight.ing/
About Medal.tv
Medal.tv is the largest platform for sharing short-form gaming content. Founded in 2018 by game developers trying to draw attention to the game they developed, Medal today is a platform used by millions of gamers to share exciting gaming moments with friends. With the help of several acquisitions, including Middle Eastern game streaming platform Rawa.tv and mobile SDK startup Megacool.co., and Gif Your Game. Medal has been able to expand globally and offer its unique clipping technology across PC, console and mobile. The company has grown to more than 60 employees. For more information, please visit medal.tv.
