Viso Secures $9.2M for No-Code Computer Vision Platform

Viso: Revolutionizing Computer Vision with No-Code Solutions
Computer vision has become an indispensable technology across numerous industries, yet the creation and management of visual AI models remain complex and resource-intensive. Viso, a Swiss-based company, is addressing this challenge by developing a comprehensive low-code/no-code platform designed to democratize computer vision development. The company recently secured $9.2 million in seed funding to scale its operations and further enhance its offerings.
The Challenge of Custom Computer Vision
While numerous pre-built computer vision models and APIs are available, they often fall short of specific industry needs, security protocols, or cost-effectiveness for large-scale deployment. Building custom computer vision solutions from scratch typically requires significant expertise in AI engineering, a resource that many companies lack due to the high cost and specialized knowledge involved.
Viso's Solution: An End-to-End Platform
Viso aims to bridge this gap by providing an integrated platform that simplifies the entire lifecycle of computer vision development. This includes:
- Data Management: Handling raw data, storage, and compliance.
- Annotation and Labeling: Facilitating the process of preparing data for model training.
- Model Training and Testing: Offering tools to build, train, and validate custom CV models.
- Integration and Deployment: Enabling seamless integration into existing workflows and deployment across various environments (online/offline).
- Analytics and Updates: Providing continuous monitoring, updates, and performance analysis.
- Access and Security: Ensuring secure access and management of AI assets.
This soup-to-nuts approach allows companies to develop sophisticated computer vision applications, such as "busy detectors" for public spaces, within a significantly reduced timeframe and with fewer specialized resources.
Key Features and Benefits
Viso's platform is built around a modular architecture, offering pre-built and customizable components that allow users to select, train, and deploy models with greater ease. This approach significantly reduces the need for extensive coding and specialized infrastructure, enabling a smaller team of engineers to achieve the output of a much larger, traditionally resourced team.
Funding and Growth
Founded in 2018 and initially bootstrapped, Viso's decision to seek external funding was driven by exploding demand. The $9.2 million seed round, led by Accel, will support the company's scaling efforts. Viso has already gained traction with major clients like Pricewaterhouse Cooper, DHL, and Orange, experiencing a six-fold increase in new customer growth since 2022.
Market Positioning
While other computer vision platforms exist, Viso differentiates itself by focusing on managing complex, large-scale applications and continuous maintenance. Unlike platforms that concentrate on a few specific tasks, Viso aims to support a wide array of models, methods, hardware, and use cases, ensuring customers retain ownership of their AI solutions.
The Appeal of Low-Code/No-Code
The growing popularity of low-code and no-code tools in various sectors highlights a strong market demand for simplified development processes. Viso's platform taps into this trend by offering a more unified and efficient alternative to stitching together disparate tools and services.
Future Outlook
Viso's success underscores the increasing need for accessible and scalable computer vision solutions. By empowering businesses to build and deploy their own AI models without prohibitive costs or expertise barriers, Viso is poised to play a significant role in the future of AI adoption across industries.
Topics Covered:
- Computer Vision
- AI Development
- No-Code/Low-Code Platforms
- Startup Funding
- Enterprise AI Solutions
- Machine Learning Operations
- Data Science
- Viso AI
- Accel Ventures
Image Credits: Viso examples, Viso model creation process, Viso suite.
Original article available at: https://techcrunch.com/2023/10/25/viso-eyes-no-code-for-the-future-of-computer-vision-and-scores-funding-to-scale/