Dirt raises $2M from Mark Cuban and others for sensor-based measurement of player attention

Dirt Research Technologies, which uses sensor-based neuroscience to identify attention-demanding content, has raised $2 million from Mark Cuban and others.

The tech can be used to keep tabs on how engaged players are with a game or other activity. It’s a category called consumer intelligence.

The pre-seed funding round will help expand data collection and enhance its audience insight tools with AI. Besides Cuban, the Shark Tank TV show star and billionaire investor, the funding was also led by Dean Dakolias, and leaders from the gaming, finance, and branding sectors.

Founded in 2020, Dirt has developed technology that collects physiological data from live audiences, analyzes it, and delivers insights to enhance audience engagement. The next evolution of the Dirt platform will leverage AI to conduct real-time simulations to help customers develop highly customized
content for their target audiences.

“Right now, AI emphasizes quantity over quality,” said Cuban, in a statement. “But to forge meaningful connections, content has to be impactful. With its unique blend of neuroscience and predictive analytics,
DIRT can identify how to capture that attention, setting it up to transform industries from advertising to
gaming and beyond.”

Industry analysts predict the volume of content will increase fivefold in the next two years, with generative AI becoming the main mode of creation. This “content overload” can create a massive challenge for brands, products, video games, and services that rely on consumer attention.

“Emotional responses underpin every decision we make,” said Ryan Anthony, CEO of Dirt, in a statement. “Our tech measures content at the physiological level and identifies what connects with people.
These insights significantly enhance traditional audience measurements like surveys, A/B testing, user
interviews, and focus groups.”

Asked about how the user data is kept private, the company said, “The data is collected in a focus group/market research context. Then aggregated. Slow to scale, but as more data is collected the algorithm becomes more precise.”

Dirt’s clients include multiple Fortune 100 gaming, media and entertainment, and e-commerce companies, including Zynga, and TikTok. These customers rely on the company to measure and enhance user engagement, and provide crucial data to inform critical business decisions.

“The most important thing we look for is clear, actionable insight that impacts our success. Since day one, DIRT’s ability to predict the value of content has markedly improved our product development and business strategy,” said Matt Penfield, vice president of consumer insights for Zynga, in a statement.

By providing a turnkey solution for enterprise, SaaS, and individual creators, DIRT’s mission is to unlock
a new frontier in content measurement. DIRT is a consumer intelligence company that uses sensor-based neuroscience to identify attention-demanding content.

The New York company has five employees and it has raised $2.5 million to date. Anthony talked about the inspiration in an email to GamesBeat.

“Over the last few years, we’ve seen tectonic shifts in the game industry as platform changes have made building successful titles far more challenging,” Anthony said. “With increased competition and the rising cost of user acquisition, there’s even more pressure on games moving from concept to production to connect with players and perform in the market.”

Anthony added, “For years, the industry has relied on player motivation surveys, A/B testing, focus groups, and playtesting. Our unique ability to complement these tools allows us to extend their utility while bringing powerful, net-new insights back to teams. At Dirt, we identify what connects with players far earlier than creators could previously know. We measure the strength of ideas in early prototypes and as they move into development.”

And he said, “And we also come to bear as products shift into launch, marketing, and ongoing optimization. Working cross-functionally with stakeholders from consumer insights, design, and development to the C-suite, we constantly analyze and help answer questions like: Are we making the best game we can? Are we building them in a way that delights players?”

Anthony said the company fundamentally believes that deeper attention and engagement lead to greater success.

“That begins with understanding people’s emotional connection to what they’re watching, playing, or are focused on. When audiences are locked in, they commit these moments to memory, leading to preference formation and, ultimately, decision-making and behavior. Our technology quantifies this process, time-aligning it to all forms of content and offering developers and creators unparalleled insight into building more impactful experiences,” Anthony said.

He added, “It took us four years to develop our technology to this point. Now, we can deliver results in hours, compared to the weeks it took before we started, at a fraction of the price it used to cost. We’re growing in gaming, and the applications extend into brands, products, and many other verticals. We have a big target set for what’s next: harnessing the power of AI to make this technology available to every creator on the planet. And we’re just getting started.”