AI social media vetting startup Ferretly has secured $2.5 million in seed funding and is launching a new platform specifically designed for screening election personnel. Ferretly, founded in 2019 by Darrin Lipscomb, utilizes artificial intelligence to scan social media and publicly accessible online data, identifying potential risks and behaviors that might be missed by traditional background checks. The company’s new Election Personnel Screening Platform, debuting ahead of the 2024 presidential election, aims to assess candidates, poll workers, and other election-related personnel to mitigate risks associated with disruptive behaviors.
Ferretly’s platform evaluates various digital red flags, including inflammatory rhetoric, hate speech, bullying behavior, and connections to extremist groups. Enhanced image classification capabilities allow the platform to detect offensive gestures, extremist symbols, and images of weapons. The platform generates a report summarizing its findings, providing hiring managers with quick insights into an individual’s character.
The startup has clients in 32 countries, including notable companies like Deloitte, Blizzard Entertainment, and Paramount Global, as well as public sector organizations and political parties. The recent funding, led by David Dickerson of Accurate Background, will primarily support marketing efforts and further research and development.
