Saint John-based Versos AI has closed a $1.85 million equity round that will help to develop its platform, which the company says will ensure ethical and legal use of video in training artificial intelligence.

Founded three years ago by tech veteran Chris Keevill, Versos says it is building the world’s most advanced video intelligence platform, purpose-built for rights-cleared video training data. It gives AI developers and aggregators the ability to source, build, manage, measure, and track compliant, rights-verified video at scale.

Lawsuits have already been filed against tech companies that allegedly use copyrighted material in the training of AI, and Versos helps AI practitioners develop content with the knowledge that they are sourcing legitimate material. The company provides the platform infrastructure, intelligence, and chain-of-custody verification needed to turn raw video into AI-ready datasets. It is also developing a marketplace where AI builders can license data with confidence in provenance, rights, and attribution.

“The industry is waking up to a simple truth: AI needs video, and that video must be rights-cleared, structured, and traceable,” Keevill, the company’s CEO, said in a statement. “Versos is solving the hardest part of the AI training data supply chain — connecting rights holders to data buyers through a platform that ensures compliance, attribution, intelligence, and scale.”

The New Brunswick Innovation Foundation is providing $750,000 of the $1.85 million round. The other investors in the funding package are Montréal-based Innovobot Resonance Ventures, Waterloo-based Velocity Fund, Toronto-based RiSC Capital, and Island Capital Partners of Charlottetown. Betakit reported that Innovobot led the round, and that Versos had previously raised $1.5 million through a simple agreement for future equity, or SAFE.

NBIF first invested in Versos is 2023 and has so far invested a total of $1.4 million in the company, including the most recent round.

The Saint John-based investment group East Valley Ventures lists Versos AI among its portfolio companies, also saying that it first invested in the company in 2023. East Valley had also backed Keevill in his previous venture, a marketing startup called InNetwork, which he sold to Barrie, Ont.-based gShift in 2016.

Versos said in its statement it will use the money from the current round to accelerate platform development, expand its global studio onboarding pipeline, and support the launch of its video intelligence platform.  With a global network of content and technology partners, the company expects to announce additional marketplace partners and product milestones early in 2026.

Earlier this week, Versos AI received the Startup of the Year award at the 2025 InnovateNB celebration, which recognizes leaders in innovation in New Brunswick.

“Having a repeat founder like Chris Keevil at the helm of Versos is a tremendous advantage,” said NBIF Chief Executive Jeff White in the statement. “Chris’s proven leadership and track record of innovation give us great confidence in the company’s ability to scale and compete globally. His vision and expertise are not only driving Versos to the forefront of AI training data, but are also setting new standards for how technology and rights management can work together for global scale.”