Influential raises $12 million for AI-based influencer matchmaking platform

Influential has launched raised $12 million to expand its Social Intelligence platform to find influencers for brands with the help of artificial intelligence. The idea is to match influencers with brands who want to team up with the hottest social media attractions. Using IBM's Watson AI tech, Influential wants to make influencer marketing reach scale on the level that brand marketers need to get measurable results. Beverly Hills, California-based Influential uses three different application programming interfaces for Watson to predict whether Fortune 1000 brands will succeed with particular influencer-based marketing campaigns. Influential's Social Intelligence technology examines factors such as psychographic and contextual relevance for brands to identify their audience, profile, and personality based on social media analysis.