eBay’s founder has invested in a startup that claims to use data aggregation to create the “internet of me”.
Digi.me raised $7m (£5.3m) in Series A funding to develop a “permission access platform” for an individual’s personal data. The funding round included $1m (£770,000) from the Omidyar Network – the investment firm created by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar.
The startup’s app collects data from its users’ social networks, including pictures and posts. “Our data is fragmented across the web,” the company says. 'Bringing it together unleashes its true potential”.
Once data is all in one place it is then possible to search across all posts and content from the networks within Digi.me. The app is available on PC, Mac, iOS and Android.
Once a person’s personal data is within the app it is possible to “exchange it with businesses for personalised benefits and services”. Digi.me’s website says it is used by more than 400,000 people across 140 countries.
The firm also says it doesn’t hold any of the personal data downloaded by a user. “Digi.me’s solution is particularly compelling in that it ensures privacy through its ‘don’t see, don’t touch, don’t hold’ approach to user data: storage, access, and use of personal data rests with the owner,” Omidyar Network Investment Partner C V Madhukar said in a statement.
Money from the funding round will be used to help the company integrate financial and health data into its service. The firm also says it will add shopping information later this year.
The funding round was led by insurance firm Swiss Re.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
