Emogi

About Emogi

Holler, formerly known as Emogi, operates as a conversational media company, providing technology that enhances digital conversations with expressive and relevant visual content. Founded in 2011 by Travis Montaque, the New York-based firm was initially established as Emogi, focusing on emotion-driven creatives for consumer engagement. Montaque launched the company, which first started as a news and video content app, before pivoting to focus on the messaging space. A significant milestone in the company's journey was its rebranding from Emogi to Holler in August 2019, which aligned with an elevated vision to deliver useful and entertaining visual content that adds texture and emotion to messaging environments.

The core of Holler's offering is its proprietary Suggestion AI Technology. This technology analyzes the context and nuance of a conversation in real-time to recommend relevant visual content like animated stickers and GIFs. For developers and messaging platforms, the company provides its technology through the Holler Kit, an SDK that enables the integration of its content and AI features into third-party applications. This allows users of partnered apps, such as Badoo and Venmo, to seamlessly incorporate Holler's expressive content into their chats.

Holler's business model is centered on brand partnerships and advertising. The company collaborates with major brands to create custom, branded visual content that users can share in their daily conversations. This serves as a non-intrusive form of advertising that organically integrates brands into peer-to-peer messaging. Clients have included prominent names like HBO Max, Starbucks, IKEA, and Molson Coors, who leverage Holler's platform to connect with consumers within their messaging interactions. This strategy proved financially successful, with revenue in the first quarter of 2021 reaching 226% of the total revenue for 2020.

The company has secured significant financial backing throughout its evolution. As Emogi, it raised a total of $15.7 million over three rounds, culminating in a $12.6 million Series A in May 2018. Following its rebranding to Holler, the company announced a $36 million Series B funding round in April 2021, co-led by CityRock Venture Partners and New General Market Partners. This brought the total funds raised to over $51 million, aimed at accelerating the development of its conversational media products and investing in research and engineering.