Ittybit, a Salford-based tech startup that uses AI to compress files to make it easier for developers and websites to feature audio, photos and videos, has raised £1.5 million in funding. 

The move was announced by venture fund Mercuri, which led the funding, along with Sure Valley Ventures. Oxford Capital, Baltic Ventures and angel investors also participated. 

Mercuri said: “Founder Paul Williams has a mission to make world-class AI-led media pipelines accessible to developers worldwide.

“Ittybit’s ML solution is transforming the costs of hosting media for SMEs and Enterprises globally, at a time when the innovation of multimodal LLMs is enabling content creation at an unprecedented scale.”

Williams said: “Ittybit was created to address the pain we felt handling large videos in our previous companies.

“We built the media tools we wished we’d had access to, and are making them available to all developers because robust media workflows shouldn’t be so expensive or complicated that only the largest tech companies can access them.”

Mercuri principal James Pringle said: “As specialists in media and creative industries, we see Ittybit as a groundbreaking solution that excels in speed, quality, and cost-efficiency.

“While it’s still early, we are enthusiastic about Ittybit’s potential to significantly impact and grow within the dynamic media landscape.”