Catch+Release Launches AI-Driven Search for User-Generated Content

Catch+Release, a startup that lets brands license content from creators, said it has launched an AI-powered search that lets users search for user-generated content in natural language queries.

The startup helps businesses license content from creators for their marketing campaigns. While brands can add links from Instagram, YouTube and TikTok to their collection for potential use, the new search engine allows them to search for suitable content without requiring them to move from one platform to another.

The startup said marketers typically can’t search for queries like “kids at a birthday party” on Instagram. Instead, they have to rely on keywords and hope that the creators have tagged the images or videos correctly. The startup uses image recognition to identify scenes and objects in these media resources.

However, one of the biggest limitations of the search engine currently is that it cannot search the Internet for you. Catch+Release typically requires creators to license their content and requires them to upload their assets and link their social accounts to the platform. After launching creator onboarding earlier this year, the company has 600 creators on the platform with over 300,000 items indexed.

In a few test searches, we observed that the search engine was able to easily find images related to the query, but videos were a hit and miss. For example, “Dog Playing in the Park” showed us videos where there were no dogs. The company said it continues to improve its recognition capabilities.

Catch+Release has raised $31.3 million to date, including an $8 million extension announced last month. The company’s investors include Accel, Cervin and Stagwell, HarbourVest Partners, Kevin Durant’s venture capital firm 35V and Gainsight CEO Nick Mehta.