New Knowledge, a cyber security company that fights online disinformation and defends public discourse using artificial intelligence, today announced $1.9 million in seed funding to fuel customer growth in the entertainment, energy and finance industries. The round is led by Moonshots Capital, with participation from Haystack, GGV Capital, Geekdom Fund, Capital Factory and Spitfire Ventures.

In November the company launched the world's first platform for defending online communities from social media manipulation. The platform detects propaganda campaigns in real time, providing an early-warning system to identify which fake accounts and bots are conducting an attack.The platform also describes how the attackers are trying to manipulate other online users, helping pinpoint the extent of the threat. After alerting brands to emerging threats, the platform equips companies with the tools they need to respond quickly and effectively.

Recently, New Knowledge's technology helped identify fake accounts that were part of the large-scale Russian effort to influence U.S. presidential elections. The company discovered these accounts in the summer of 2016, over a year before social media companies later admitted were tied to the Kremlin-backed Internet Research Agency.

"Disinformation attacks are anonymous, inexpensive, and effective- whether your goal is to influence an election or undermine a brand's reputation," said Jonathon Morgan, a co-founder and CEO of New Knowledge. "Brands are vulnerable, and public discourse won't defend itself. It's time to act. Our recent funding will allow us to scale operations and better serve customers."

Morgan, a former digital content producer and State Department counterterrorism advisor, is joined by co-founders Ryan Fox, a former NSA officer and military intelligence veteran, and Sandeep Verma, who has led engineering teams for Halliburton and BP. Kelly Perdew, a Managing Partner at Moonshots Capital, will also be joining the board of directors.

"We're proud to back New Knowledge as they help protect companies from a massively harmful cyber threat," said Kelly Perdew, Managing General Partner at Moonshots Capital. "This team is uniquely qualified with technology, media, and security expertise to solve this complex problem."

ABOUT NEW KNOWLEDGE
New Knowledge protects brands from social media disinformation by identifying fake accounts, fake news, and propaganda campaigns. Their products give companies early warnings when bad actors are trying to attack their reputation or manipulate their customers, and help companies defend themselves against this new form of information attack.

ABOUT MOONSHOTS CAPITAL
Moonshots Capital is a seed-stage venture capital firm that invests in extraordinary leadership.

Great leaders are hard to come by. We believe the best ones are military-trained or trial-by-fire entrepreneurs who have the ability to motivate others to action, inspire trust, and plan heuristically. We invest with conviction when those attributes are present.

Moonshots Capital was founded by a team of veterans in 2017. We have collectively founded and operated 14 companies, and have personally invested in 70 ventures. Beyond capital, we deploy our military and entrepreneurial experience to help world-changing companies grow.