Louis Hernandez Jr., chairman of Ryff, applauds completion of first round of funding

Partnership with large global technology firm to accelerate product launch

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Mar 19, 2019, 09:00 ET

MIAMI, March 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Louis Hernandez Jr., executive chairman at Ryff, the startup that announced its unique AI-driven advertising placement platform Placer™ in November, congratulated the company on a successful $3.6 million Series A round of financing.

"The investment led by Tech Mahindra is a wonderful accompaniment to an exciting first year for Ryff. It hammers home how extraordinary this technology company is and how it is redefining the meaning of 'virtual' when it comes to content marketing in digital media," said Hernandez, who is among Ryff's seed investors comprised of leading executives from the world of computing and entertainment.

"It's especially rewarding to watch a group of industry professionals identify a need that will help the entertainment business and quickly move a product solution through the development stage into marketing and sales," added Hernandez, who also is managing director and chief executive officer of private equity firm Black Dragon Capital.

Ryff's executive team of digital content and marketing veterans brought combined experience from Warner Brothers, Dreamworks, AMD, NVIDIA and Technicolor. Together they created a technology platform that integrates product placements into film, video or live streaming based on the viewer or a designated market area, allowing it to distribute and target content to the right audience at the right time dynamically and instantaneously.

Clients who have signed on for the Placer™ platform include production and distribution company Endemol Shine, video licensing company Jukin Media, gaming hardware manufacturing company Razer, and celebrity DJ Paul Oakenfold's Perfectomundo tequila.

The new investment values Ryff at $19 million and will help the company aggressively expand its sales and marketing efforts as well as broaden and accelerate product development.

"The success of Ryff and young companies like it that are breaking down barriers caused by digital disruption rely on the belief in us by industry leaders and investors like Louis Hernandez Jr., Tech Mahindra and others," said Roy Taylor, co-founder and CEO at Ryff. "We are excited to have such well recognized investors, partners and initial clients join our cause to change the landscape for dynamic product placement and improve the yield for content around the world."

Black Dragon Capital is a private equity firm based in Miami with a focus on growth investments, particularly in digital commerce, financial services and media technology. Black Dragon's team of industry professionals have significant operational experience, strong financial backgrounds, proven track records of success and investment experience, ranging from startups to billion-dollar organizations in both public and private vehicles. The company leverages its network expertise and deep domain knowledge to assist in accelerating growth and profits in selected markets – all while working closely with entrepreneurs. Learn more at blackdragoncap.com.

Ryff marries content marketing with the power, data intelligence, and scale of broadcast, streaming and online advertising. The Ryff platform automatically turns owned and earned content into branded entertainment advertising and leverages proprietary technology for programmatic placement – building meaningful broadcast, streamed online audiences and driving business outcomes. Leading B2C and B2B brands rely on Ryff to transform their owned media investments and earned media wins into high performance marketing assets. Privately funded and based in Hollywood, California with offices in New York and London. To learn more about Ryff, visit http://www.Ryff.co.

Tech Mahindra Limited is a specialist in digital transformation, consulting and business re-engineering solutions and is a part of the Mahindra Group. Started its life in the year of 1986 as Mahindra-British Telecom Limited, for over two decades, Tech Mahindra has been the chosen transformation partner for wireline, wireless and broadband operators in Europe, Asia-Pacific and North America. As a leading provider of IT Solutions to the Telecom industry, the company committed to quality, Tech Mahindra adds value to client businesses through well-established methodologies, tools and techniques backed by its stringent quality processes. The company's global footprint spans 24 locations in 14 countries including 11 state-of-the-art development centers and 13 sales offices in Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific.

Contact:
Melissa Lichtenheld, 305-372-1234
Wragg & Casas Strategic Communications
[email protected]

SOURCE Black Dragon Capital