Much like the music industry before Spotify, AI applications today face hurdles in accessing quality content. In the early 2000s, people often turned to platforms like Pirate Bay to download music, but that came with legal risks, poor sound quality, and artists missing out on fair compensation. Similarly, today many AI tools depend on existing web frameworks like search engines and web scraping to collect information. However, as the AI landscape evolves, these methods are proving less efficient and raising new concerns around legal compliance and fair use of copyrighted content.

Recent events have highlighted these challenges. For example, Google was fined $270 million in France for using news publishers’ data without permission. Likewise, News Corp, the owner of The Wall Street Journal and The New York Post, has sued the AI search startup Perplexity for using its content without proper credit. With new regulations around AI and content rights on the way, it’s becoming clear that using content without authorization is no longer an option.

To tackle those legal challenges and rising operational costs, new startups are emerging. For instance, Human Native AI has launched a data marketplace focused on publishers’ content, while EXA is taking a search-based approach, although it still faces difficulties in simplifying data access.

Linkup aims to solve this problem by taking a new approach. Instead of relying on existing web infrastructure, it establishes direct partnerships with premium content providers to ensure that data is both legally and ethically accessed. This strategy not only ensures fair compensation for content creators but also enhances the reliability of the data used by AI tools. By creating this win-win model, Linkup is setting a new standard for how AI interacts with online content.

With this funding round, Linkup will focus on three key areas to drive its mission forward:

1. Advancing Product Capabilities: Refining proprietary models and enhancing web indexing to offer a more robust and efficient solution.
2. Building Strategic Partnerships: Strengthening alliances with content providers to guarantee high-quality and legally compliant data access.
3. Scaling Infrastructure: Investing in infrastructure to support larger deployments and deliver consistent results across various markets.

At Axeleo, we believe the future of AI lies in more specialized, industry-focused models. While large language models (LLMs) offer broad capabilities, they often lack the precision required for specific applications. Linkup’s approach of delivering curated, high-quality content aligns perfectly with this vision, addressing industry-specific needs and reinforcing its relevance in a rapidly evolving market.

The founding team - Philippe Mizrahi, Boris Toledano, and Denis Charrier - brings together a strong combination of tech and business expertise. Philippe, the CEO, is a graduate of Polytechnique and holds a Master’s in Operational Research from Columbia University. He previously worked at Lyft as a Group Product Manager, leading market development for autonomous vehicles. Boris, the COO, combines strategic management skills from HEC Paris with engineering expertise from ISAE-SUPAERO. He has experience leading digital transformation at McKinsey & Company and driving AI innovation at Carrefour. Denis, the CTO, has over 15 years of experience in software architecture and product development. He founded Niland, which was acquired by Spotify in 2017, where he then worked as a senior engineer.

We are excited to join Linkup on this journey and help them set new standards for online data access in the AI space. Congratulations to the entire Linkup team on this milestone - we look forward to supporting you as you continue to drive innovation !