Perscient Launches AI-Powered Narrative Intelligence Platform After Securing $4.1 Million in Client-Funded B-Round

Second Foundation Partners, the holding company for the financial media brand Epsilon Theory, has successfully completed a $4.1 million B-round of funding, all sourced from existing clients. With this investment, the company has rebranded itself as Perscient, the name of its revolutionary, AI-powered narrative intelligence platform that provides actionable insights to strategic investors and business leaders. This platform aims to transform how businesses interpret and act upon complex narratives found across various sources, including news, academic journals, blogs, and social media. By combining advanced AI with human expertise, Perscient delivers a deeper analysis of the stories that influence markets, politics, and other critical sectors. CEO and Co-Founder Rusty Guinn emphasized the company's commitment to quality and scalability, stating, "We weren’t going to try to scale it until we were sure we could do it right. After more than a decade of research and development, we are confident in the capabilities of our Semantic Signatures technology to deliver narrative intelligence to data-rich but insight-poor enterprises." Perscient’s technology stands out from traditional sentiment analysis and keyword extraction tools by providing a comprehensive measure of the strength and impact of narratives. It transforms the semantic meaning of language into measurable data, enabling users to understand and visualize the underlying stories that shape their industries. The platform uses large language models to process vast amounts of unstructured data quickly, offering clients a clearer historical view, deeper current understanding, and more accurate predictions. To support the launch and expansion of the Perscient platform, the company has significantly bolstered its team with five new additions since April. Jeremy Radcliffe, a former co-founder and President of Salient Partners, now serves as Chief Product Officer. He brings extensive experience from managing a $20 billion wealth and investment practice, contributing to the platform's product development. Jessica Rutland, a seasoned business intelligence product management executive, joins Radcliffe in focusing on the growth and refinement of the narrative intelligence software. The team is further strengthened by Aleichia Celestina Williams, Niall Ridgley, and Matt Zeigler, each skilled in narrative identification and content creation across different fields. Rafael Mayer, CEO of Khronos and a long-time client, shares his positive experience with Perscient's technology. "I have always respected the insights provided by Ben and Rusty, but now having access to those insights at scale and across a wide range of topics has been transformative," he stated. This rebranding and expansion of services reflect the company’s dedication to leveraging its technology for broader applications and more clients. Perscient’s Co-Founders, Ben Hunt and Rusty Guinn, along with an expanded group of internal and external contributors, will continue publishing articles on Epsilon Theory under the direction of Managing Editor Harper Hunt. Hunt noted, "The same technology that powers our narrative intelligence platform will enhance the quality of insight-driven content through our publishing brands, creating a seamless flow of expert analysis and practical tools." In a broader context, Ben Hunt explained the significance of narrative intelligence, highlighting his career-long pursuit of understanding narrative structures. "Throughout my professional journey, I have sought the frameworks that explain human behavior and motivate action. Our CTO Chris Whatley, Bryan Park, and the entire Perscient team have achieved a significant breakthrough in this area, and we are eager to share these tools with the world." Perscient’s platform is designed to aid businesses in making informed decisions based on narrative intelligence, a critical yet often overlooked aspect of business strategy. By providing a multi-dimensional view of the stories shaping the market, Perscient helps clients navigate uncertainty and capitalize on emerging trends. For more information and to request a demo, interested parties can visit perscient.com. Industry experts are bullish on the potential of Perscient’s narrative intelligence platform. They believe it fills a crucial gap in the business intelligence market, where traditional methods often fall short in capturing the nuanced and complex nature of narrative-driven insights. The platform's unique blend of AI and human expertise is seen as a significant advantage, making it a valuable tool for forward-thinking organizations seeking to stay ahead of the curve. Company Profile: Perscient, headquartered in Westport, Connecticut, specializes in AI-driven narrative intelligence. With a mission to provide scalable, actionable insights, the company has developed cutting-edge technology that transforms unstructured data into meaningful narratives. Founded by industry veterans Ben Hunt and Rusty Guinn, Perscient’s platform is supported by a team of experienced professionals and is poised to redefine business intelligence.