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§ Private Profile · Irvine, CA, USA
Steg AI is a technology company.
Steg AI delivers an enterprise security platform, protecting digital assets via proprietary deep learning models. Its core offerings include forensic watermarking and content poisoning solutions. These technologies embed robust, nearly invisible watermarks into digital content, safeguarding against unauthorized use, leaks, and misuse. Solutions are provided through APIs, web applications, and integrations.
The company was co-founded by Rutgers University alumnus Eric Wengrowski and Dr. Kristin Dana, a professor at the Rutgers School of Engineering. Their insight leveraged deep learning to overcome traditional watermarking limitations, establishing a resilient approach to digital content security. This addresses evolving challenges in protecting intellectual property.
Steg AI serves enterprise clients and creators safeguarding digital intellectual property. Its mission empowers businesses to control and monitor their digital content. The company combats unauthorized reproduction, deepfakes, and misinformation, envisioning digital content integrity preserved through intelligent, embedded protection.
Steg AI has raised $5.0M across 1 funding round.
Steg AI has raised $5.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Steg AI has raised $5.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $5.0M Seed in July 2023.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2023 | $5M Seed | Paladin Capital Group | BLU Venture Investors, Energy Impact Partners, OODA Ventures, Alexander Lavin, Brian Early, Chen Ping YU, ELI Adler, NYU, Washington Square Angels | Announced |
Steg.AI is a computer vision startup specializing in forensic watermarking and data poisoning technology to protect digital assets from leaks, deepfakes, and misuse.[1][2][3] It builds invisible, tamper-resistant watermarks using patented Light Field Messaging—a deep learning-based technique that embeds traceable identifiers into images, videos, PDFs, GIFs, and more, surviving edits like cropping, compression, screenshots, or even camera scans.[1][4][6] The company serves enterprises in content-heavy sectors like entertainment, tech, merchandising, and consumer electronics, solving problems such as content leaks (costing businesses an average of $10M per incident), misinformation, deepfake impersonation, and IP theft by enabling provenance tracking, authentication, and leak tracing.[2][5][6] Growth momentum includes expansion since 2019 to 10 full-time employees in Irvine, CA; a $5M VC funding round; new web apps and integrations (e.g., Photoshop, WordPress, DAMs); and awards like the 2024 Rutgers Innovation Awards for AI/Digital Innovation.[1][2]
Steg.AI was founded in 2019 by Eric Wengrowski (CEO, double Rutgers graduate) and Kristin Dana (Rutgers School of Engineering professor, PhD), stemming from their Rutgers-developed Light Field Messaging technology, published in a 2019 CVPR paper on deep photographic steganography.[1][4][6] The idea emerged from academic research into advanced forensic watermarking, exclusively licensed from Rutgers University, addressing rising needs for digital trust amid deepfakes and disinformation.[1] Early challenges included pivoting from initial product ideas after customer feedback, but traction grew by focusing on robust, enterprise-grade solutions for leak-prone industries; pivotal moments include TechCrunch coverage in 2023 highlighting its deep learning evolution and recent operational expansions with staff growth and service broadening.[1][4]
Steg.AI stands out in digital security through these key strengths:
Steg.AI rides the explosive growth of Generative AI and deepfakes, where misinformation and content manipulation erode digital trust—exacerbated by leaks costing millions and rising AI-driven threats like executive impersonation.[1][5][6] Timing is ideal post-2019 research origins, aligning with 2023-2025 regulatory pushes (e.g., C2PA adoption) and enterprise demands for proactive defenses amid AI content floods.[2][4] Market forces like IP protection in entertainment/tech and brand safety favor it, as competitors like Optic focus narrowly on detection while Steg.AI emphasizes prevention and traceability.[2] It influences the ecosystem by enabling "watermark-everything" workflows, fostering secure AI media distribution and supporting Rutgers-style university tech transfer in cybersecurity.[1][4]
Steg.AI is poised for acceleration with expanding AI threats, likely scaling via more integrations, on-prem/edge options, and partnerships in high-stakes sectors like media and e-commerce.[3][5] Trends like mandatory content provenance laws and multimodal AI (video/audio poisoning) will propel demand, potentially boosting valuation beyond its $5M funding base through enterprise wins and awards momentum.[1][2] Its influence may evolve from niche protector to ecosystem standard-setter, restoring trust in visuals as deepfakes proliferate—cementing Light Field Messaging as a cornerstone of digital forensics, much like its Rutgers roots sparked a cybersecurity vanguard.[1][4][6]
Steg AI has raised $5.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Steg AI's investors include Paladin Capital Group, Blu Venture Investors, Energy Impact Partners, OODA Ventures, Alexander Lavin, Brian Early, Chen-Ping Yu, Eli Adler, NYU, Washington Square Angels.