Sure the latest initiatives from the Teslas, Apples and Googles of the industry tend to dominate the tech news space — and with good reason. Still, the tech titans aren’t the only ones bringing innovation to the sector.
In an effort to highlight up-and-coming tech companies, Built In launched The Future 5 across seven major U.S. tech hubs. Each quarter, we will feature five early-stage tech companies, nonprofits or entrepreneurs in each of these hubs who just might be working on the next big thing. Read our round-up of San Francisco’s rising startups from last quarter here.
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Tech solutions in the artificial intelligence sector have garnered plenty of public attention recently for a good reason — possibilities within the space are truly boundless. With machine learning systems that are constantly advancing and automation capabilities that can lighten innumerable workloads, it’s no surprise that the sector is rapidly growing.
Bay Area company Omneky is applying AI’s limitless applications to the advertising space. Operating a platform that helps brands launch ads personalized to their audiences, Omneky’s goal is to disrupt the creative service industry with generative AI.
Growing up Omneky founder and CEO Hikari Senju was often exposed to innovation within his tech-oriented family. His father was also a painter, so Senju ultimately gravitated toward the artistic side of things as well. While studying machine learning and computer science at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Senju was inspired to combine technological and creative aspects into one solution.
This idea first manifested as an edtech company Senju launched after he graduated. The venture was subsequently acquired by an adtech company, and after the acquisition, Senju worked in marketing for the platform and discovered parallels between the two differing sectors.
“You develop this intuition [of] how do people learn things, how do people make sticky ideas that get people intrigued and wanting to learn more?” Senju told Built In. “And in many ways, I adopted this assumption that advertising is education at scale. It’s all about personalized learning, personalized content and how you automate that personalization process.”
His revelation eventually led to the creation of Omneky, an adtech solution that uses AI-powered text-to-image capabilities to help brands generate ads tailored to their customers.
Our mission is to democratize growth and to empower human creativity.”
After brands upload their product photos, Omneky’s API integrates with brands’ advertising platforms to analyze their customers’ data and determine what visual elements customers will find most intriguing.
“Fundamentally, you can deconstruct an image based on the composite of the different symbols and the emotional connotations that every single symbol has,” Senju said. “Cumulatively, that then tells a story that has emotional resonance with the viewer.”
Using this logic, Omneky’s solution uses computer vision to gather quantifiable design insights for brands. It then generates digital ad content based on which elements will likely engage customers the best. After granting their approval, brands can use Omneky’s tech to run ads across various channels including streaming platforms, websites, mobile outlets and more. After an ad’s launch, Omneky analyzes its performance and helps brands manage their content across multiple channels.
Omneky’s AI-powered solution is built with human creativity at the forefront.
“Our mission is to democratize growth and to empower human creativity,” Senju said. “We believe that all humans are sacred and genuinely special and have promise to build great things.”
The company has helped a number of small business owners grow their brands thanks to successful online advertising campaigns. In helping these businesses connect with their customers, Omneky’s solution has empowered entrepreneurs to focus on scaling and achieving their dreams, Senju said.
Since Omneky’s founding in 2018, it’s grown at a quick pace. The company tripled its revenue year-over-year in 2022, according to Senju. Its team has experienced a similar growth momentum. Omneky doubled its U.S. headcount to more than 30 people last December. To date, its global workforce is 50 people strong.
As it continues to grow, Omneky plans to build its tech to be compatible with the future of digital media. Eventually, it hopes to launch ads for augmented and virtual reality outlets and develop ads and experiences tailored to individual consumers on those platforms.
