Estonia, Good for Business, Investments, Technology, USA

International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Friday, 29.03.2024, 00:16

Estonian Sentinel raises over EUR 1 mln in investment

BC, Tallinn, 16.09.2020.Print version
Sentinel, an Estonian defense technology startup founded by NATO's artificial intelligence and cyber defense experts, raised 1.35 million U.S. dollars, or approximately 1.14 million euros, in investment, the daily Postimees writes, cites LETA/BNS.

Sentinel is developing an artificial intelligence-based detection platform and has compiled the world's largest database of synthetic media or deepfake found online.


The venture capital fund United Angels VC has invested in the startup. Investors also include Jaan Tallinn, Taavet Hinrikus, Ragnar Sass and Martin Henk.


Studies show that the use of realistic images and videos produced using deepfake technologies in politics, the porn industry and high-level information operations is on the rise. These show people saying or doing something that has not really happened.


Sentinel co-founder and CEO Johannes Tammekand said that technologically advanced synthetic media can only be detected today with the help of technology designed for this purpose and the human eye and ear can no longer distinguish fraud from authentic content. This knowledge raises people's constant doubts about the veracity of the content published in the media.


"If any video can be fake, people may lose interest in the authenticity of the content offered in the media entirely, believing only what confirms their beliefs," Tammekand told Postimees.


Tammekänd has worked at the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence and developed machine learning-based cyber security software for Payload Security, which was sold in 2017 to one of the world's largest cyber security companies, CrowdStrike.


However, Sentinel's other co-founder and CTO Kaspar Peterson was one of the first mobile application software developers at the Monese mobile bank and, thanks to his experience from various data science companies, has technical knowledge of using machine learning to create synthetic media.


Sentinel works with leading media organizations, governments and defense agencies. The company's first clients include the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications.






Search site