Solsten

About Solsten

Solsten operates as an artificial intelligence-powered platform designed to analyze and predict audience behavior through psychological assessment. Founded in 2018 by CEO Joe Schaeppi and COO Bastian Bergmann, the company was established in Berlin and is now headquartered in Minneapolis, with offices in California and Germany. The founders, who met in high school, combined their expertise to create Solsten. Schaeppi has a background in user experience (UX) design, marketing, and clinical psychology, having worked as a psychotherapist. Bergmann is an expert in business and technological innovation. Their collaboration on a Harvard Business Review article about data-driven approaches to group creativity laid the groundwork for the company.

Solsten's core business revolves around its human insights engine, which helps companies, primarily in the gaming industry, understand their customers on a deep psychological level. The platform utilizes an adaptive psychometric assessment, delivered in-game via an interstitial, to capture data on over 300 psychological traits, including personality, values, motivations, and communication styles. This AI-driven assessment allows for the creation of detailed, anonymous user profiles and personas, enabling clients to tailor experiences, optimize user acquisition, and improve retention. The company serves clients ranging from startups to enterprise-level organizations, including prominent gaming studios like Mythical Games, Sky Mavis, Tilting Point, and Super League.

The company's product ecosystem includes several key tools. 'Traits' provides a deep understanding of an audience's psychological makeup. 'Navigator' helps identify a product's most promising future audience. A newer platform, 'Elaris,' transforms Solsten's extensive psychological dataset into actionable intelligence, allowing companies to generate on-brand content, ads, and product strategies. Solsten's business model is data-as-a-service, providing businesses with insights to inform decisions across product development, user research, and marketing. By focusing on the 'why' behind user behavior, Solsten aims to create healthier, more engaging, and mutually beneficial digital experiences.

Solsten has raised a total of $31 million over multiple funding rounds. A Series B round in August 2022, led by Konvoy Ventures, raised approximately $22 million. Other investors include Decathlon Capital Partners, Inventure, GFR Fund, Sisu Game Ventures, and Dentsu Ventures. The company has stated its long-term vision includes expanding beyond gaming into other sectors like fitness, hospitality, fintech, and mental health.