Rapidata raises CHF 1.5 million in funding round led by BlueYard, pioneering the creation of a human brain in the cloud
17.07.2023
The investment, supported by Acequia Capital and an angel investor, will empower Rapidata to build a "human processing unit in the cloud" and propel its platform to the forefront of AI data annotation and human data processing. With the belief that humans are vital in developing AI tools, Rapidata's unique approach taps into a vast network of users worldwide, positioning them as a crucial player in shaping the infrastructure of the AI revolution.
Rapidata's Co-Founders: Marian Kannwischer, Jason Corkill, Luca Strebel, and Mads Alber
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With the recent rise of advanced AI tools, many people may fear that humans are becoming obsolete. This however is in fact far from the truth. Human-powered data processing such as annotation, validation, and assessment is crucial for the development of AI tools. To work through these millions of repetitive tasks that need human intuition, Rapidata’s unique model does not rely on a fixed workforce. Instead, they provide a "human processing unit in the cloud" based on a huge network of users from around the world, or, in more metaphorical terms used by one of the investors, a "wetware" service, a play on the word “hardware” referring to the glibber human brain.
The technology has been deployed and verified on smaller projects, and the next step is scaling up to involve larger industry players. The investment round led by BlueYard Capital, a prominent investor in tech-driven startups, gives Rapidata the necessary resources to expand the team to build a more mature and complex product. With it, the company can break into, and expand the existing data labelling market and establish itself as a key player. The funds will also allow Rapidata to operate a mass-market version of its product, which might not be profitable to start.
With prior investment rounds from Venturekick and the Wingman Campus fund totaling CHF 70,000, this funding round marks a significant step in Rapidata's growth trajectory. The funds will be invested in team expansion and a strategic push into critical markets, including the United States, where many of the key stakeholders in the AI industry reside.

Marian Kannwischer and Jason discussing projects
"Winning Venture Kick gave us financial footing that allowed specialized tasks and uncertainties to be outsourced to experienced personnel boosting the efficiency of our work and therefore accelerating the progress of the product. Maybe most importantly, we are under the impression that being part of the Venture Kick has also exposed us to a range of external investors which has been important for putting together the funding round," said Jason Corkill, Co-Founder & CEO of Rapidata. "To all potential mobile tech entrepreneurs launching companies in Switzerland today, apply for the Venture Kick program! It gave us early focus and has been a great experience throughout," continued Jason.
The initial idea of Rapidata first surfaced in late 2021, when Jason was doing a computer vision internship where he had to meticulously label a lot of images for the application he was developing. While complaining about this, Marian Kannwischer, Co-Founder & CTO, contemplated that having a human brain in the cloud that one could easily access to conduct tasks would be a great product; that is how the idea of Rapidata was born.
Rapidata won Venture Kick Stage 2 in 2023.
The technology has been deployed and verified on smaller projects, and the next step is scaling up to involve larger industry players. The investment round led by BlueYard Capital, a prominent investor in tech-driven startups, gives Rapidata the necessary resources to expand the team to build a more mature and complex product. With it, the company can break into, and expand the existing data labelling market and establish itself as a key player. The funds will also allow Rapidata to operate a mass-market version of its product, which might not be profitable to start.
With prior investment rounds from Venturekick and the Wingman Campus fund totaling CHF 70,000, this funding round marks a significant step in Rapidata's growth trajectory. The funds will be invested in team expansion and a strategic push into critical markets, including the United States, where many of the key stakeholders in the AI industry reside.

Marian Kannwischer and Jason discussing projects
"Winning Venture Kick gave us financial footing that allowed specialized tasks and uncertainties to be outsourced to experienced personnel boosting the efficiency of our work and therefore accelerating the progress of the product. Maybe most importantly, we are under the impression that being part of the Venture Kick has also exposed us to a range of external investors which has been important for putting together the funding round," said Jason Corkill, Co-Founder & CEO of Rapidata. "To all potential mobile tech entrepreneurs launching companies in Switzerland today, apply for the Venture Kick program! It gave us early focus and has been a great experience throughout," continued Jason.
The initial idea of Rapidata first surfaced in late 2021, when Jason was doing a computer vision internship where he had to meticulously label a lot of images for the application he was developing. While complaining about this, Marian Kannwischer, Co-Founder & CTO, contemplated that having a human brain in the cloud that one could easily access to conduct tasks would be a great product; that is how the idea of Rapidata was born.
Rapidata won Venture Kick Stage 2 in 2023.