Addvocate and Trapit merge to create a brand advocacy super-engine, raise $10M

Addvocate, a startup helping companies evangelize through employees’ social media presence, is merging with Trapit, a content recommendation engine.

The new company, Addvocate-Trapit, also announced it has raised $10 million in new funding.

Founded in 2012, Addvocate provides tools for companies to leverage their employees’ social media accounts and turn them into brand advocates. In July, Addvocate updated its cloud-based tools to route all company-related shared content through a central hub.

Trapit, on the other hand, was created at SRI International, the research unit that also gave birth to Siri, among other innovations. Using artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and personalization technology, the recommendation engine “traps” content and articles most relevant to a user. Last year, it opened up its tools to publishers to enable them to recommend relevant content from outside sources to readers without needing to leave a given site.

The new partnership will enable companies to collect content about particular topics relevant to their customers. Then employees can easily share that curated content.

Rogers Venture Partners led the new round of funding, with additional participation from Trapit investors including Astro Digital Sdn Bhd.

Addvocate cofounder and former chief executive, Marcus Nelson, left the company earlier this year, though Addvocate declined to share details surrounding his departure.