Contents is a marketing tech company that has developed a proprietary software platform that, by using advanced data analysis and machine learning algorithms, enables faster, higher quality production of digital content in a range of topics and in different languages. The platform integrates modules for analysis of online trends and competitors. It tracks user behaviour, and feeds into the Natural Language Processing and Natural Language Generation modules for AI-based content generation.
The company operates through two lines of business. Contents Media is the business unit that leverages the technology itself to produce and power innovative projects and online publishing. Meanwhile, Contents.com is the business unit that works on the development of the technology platform and AI, making it available to customers as an SaaS model.
A few months ago, Contents became one of the finalists in the Startup Competition at South Summit 2021, having been nominated in the Connectivity & Data category. It is also one of the companies that form part of ICEX-Invest in Spain’s Rising UP in Spain programme, which is focused on attracting foreign entrepreneurs who want to establish themselves and grow in Spain. The selected start-ups receive resources to develop their businesses in Spain.
Contents CEO Massimiliano Squillace talks to El Referente, not only about setting up in Spain, but also about the company’s other achievements.
You’re a part of the ICEX Rising Up in Spain programme. How is this helping you in your expansion into Spain?
Being part of Rising UP Spain is a source of pride and also a huge advantage.
The support in terms of visibility, start-up and office costs and advice is an asset that any company setting up in Spain would be delighted to benefit from. Furthermore, the flexibility and approachability of Rising UP Spain’s professional staff makes the programme truly effective.
How was the company founded, and what made you decide to focus on this particular segment of the market?
Contents was created with the aim of revolutionising a very broad and valuable sector like content creation, which is not particularly organised or structured. There is a wide variety of content creation tools out there, and often they’re not available in one place. This makes them difficult for users to use.
Content generation has become a key factor in business management, especially in the case of online businesses. And it’s at this point, content generators, and, in general, any online business manager using content as a communication and marketing tool, often have major shortcomings.
This is why, after making an in-depth study of the sector, analysing the challenges and opportunities, we’ve created a platform that we like to define as an “all-in-one”. It has everything necessary to facilitate an agile, well-organised vision. The platform gives users the opportunity to have a single point of contact for everything they need to manage their business, and in this way cover their needs more efficiently.
Contents is the result of the combination of state-of-the-art technology and an extraordinarily talented team. This translates into an optimal performance capable of serving customers all over the world due to its different locations, multilingual service, and international team.
Another one of the problems that we identified in our study is that market users are not finding the tailor-made solutions they need. Very often these are overly expensive, and are unaffordable for small or growing companies.
Another of the challenges that Contents has taken on is to democratise knowledge through the generation and dissemination of content. We create solutions for everyone, not just for big companies, but also for those who are starting their own business and need content to get it up and running. At Contents we’re committed to expanding coverage to create an efficient, interconnected market.
What does Contents bring to the market? What is your differential value?
What makes our company unique is the way it is revolutionising the world of information and communication using AI. Contents has also been cited by Forbes magazine as outstanding in this respect.
Unlike other companies that only offer one tool, Contents offers several via a single platform, providing a more organised, harmonious approach.
Scalability is Contents’ strength. The company, which aspires to go global, already has a presence in five major countries: Italy, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Why such a strong commitment to the Spanish market?
Contents has chosen to invest in the Spanish market in order to achieve a number of specific objectives. One of the main reasons is to become an increasingly global company.
With this in mind, Spain is getting ready to become a productive place to host the most important companies in innovation and technology.
Tech talent is increasingly choosing the Iberian Peninsula as the ideal place to start or expand a business.
In terms of where companies and start-ups choose to locate, it’s the third most attractive place for innovative companies in Europe, and it ranks number five on the list worldwide.
What is even more striking is the high and growing number of investments in technology companies. Marketplaces, eCommerce and m-commerce are moving up the rankings and fuelling investment.
Its position on the international stage, and the amount of tech talent it attracts from around the world, bodes well for the city in the future.
In the last year alone, more than a hundred tech companies have put down roots in the promised land. Not a bad start.
Microsoft, Yahoo, and Lastminute are clients of yours. Why do they put their faith in you?
Contents’ main target group is B2B companies. Contents distinguishes between two types of clients. Large companies, that Contents reaches via the sales team, and small and medium-sized companies, that the Contents’ platform reaches through programme content and an SaaS model. Contents’ key clients can be divided into three categories: eCommerce clients, publishers, and web agencies.
What really matters to us is to be able to provide satisfactory answers and solutions for whoever needs them. Regardless of whether it’s an SME, a freelancer, or a large company, we always have the same goal: to offer the best possible content. Moreover, our goal is to democratise data. We’re very happy to propose and create solutions for everyone, with no limits or barriers”.
What sort of content can you create?
At Contents we take the best out of Artificial Intelligence and combine it with the human factor to generate optimised content with the keywords selected by our clients, so that they gain visibility and get seen by their potential customers.
Our content breaks language barriers and allows our clients to reach a global audience.
How does your work impact the end user? How does it benefit them?
As our content is SEO optimised, we show the user what they are interested in by matching what the company offers with what their potential clients are looking for. We allow companies to impact the user with the right product at the right time. We achieve a win-win, for both the company and for the end user.
Have you faced any reticence due to the fact that it’s a job that’s now done by machines rather than people?
At Contents we’re committed to a hybrid business model. We aim to get the best out of AI to generate content faster and more efficiently, but always under human supervision. This combination is the key to the success of a platform like Contents.