Europe´s hottest AI-Startup

Berlin, 30. April 2025 – There are many stories about and from Berlin, one of which is currently particularly promising: Named “Europe’s hottest AI startup” by Nvidia, the Berlin-based company brighter AI Technologies GmbH was acquired by Milestone Systems from Denmark on 1 April 2025 and will use its proprietary anonymisation technology to help develop data protection-compliant AI training solutions together with the Copenhagen-based video software specialist.

brighter AI was founded in 2017 by Marian Gläser and Patrick Kern and has since established itself as a leading provider of AI-based anonymisation technology for image and video data. The company’s modern Deep Learning technology enables the data protection-compliant analysis of video recordings, for example, in which faces and sensitive data such as licence plates are changed or made unrecognisable with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI), thereby protecting the identities of people in public spaces (“Deep Natural Anonymisation”). The visual context still remains. The goal is to achieve data protection compliance while enabling machine learning for various industries such as transportation or the security sector.

Marian Gläser, Co-Founder and CEO of brighter AI: “That brighter AI was founded in Berlin, that we grew here and then sold it to a global company, has particularly pleased me as a Berliner. The startup ecosystem, the internationality, and industry synergies in the city have significantly contributed to this. I am all the more pleased that our office, directly at Washington Square, will not only be maintained but, as recently planned, will even be further expanded.”

Brighter AI, one of Berlin’s first GenAI startups, has been supported by the ICT Media and Creative Industries cluster and thus also by Berlin Partner in various areas since its founding. For example, the nominations for the DeepTech Award 2020 of the State of Berlin and for the German AI Startup Prize 2024 awarded by WELT, as well as participation in the Berlin Creative Tech Summit 2023 and other exchange and networking formats such as consortia, panels and conferences. In addition, Berlin Partner’s Startup Unit supported brighter AI in the selection of funding programmes, the search for new office space, participation in Next Web in Amsterdam as part of the Berlin delegation in June 2024 and finally in administrative activities through the Business Immigration Service. As part of the Berlin Partner network, brighter AI also receives regular access to industry-relevant information.

Berlin Partner followed the integration of the startup into the business areas of Milestone Systems with great interest. The Danish company in turn belongs to the Canon Group. The Berlin team will operate as a separate business unit of Milestone Systems in the future and, together with the video software specialist’s experts, will continue to work on “Project Hafnia,” among other things, in which brighter AI’s anonymisation technology will be used to develop data protection-compliant AI training solutions. The project includes a data library and a training platform for AI models. As European tech leaders, both companies will also contribute to strengthening Europe’s innovation and competitiveness in the field of AI and technology development through their merger.

“brighter AI is a perfect match for Milestone. Their proven technology is top-notch and will give us a wider offering to existing and future technology partners and customers. The anonymization tool for video technology will also enhance our focus on responsible technology. Even more important, our two company cultures are highly compatible. Having known brighter AI for a while, as we have an established collaboration on Project Hafnia, I have complete faith that this will be a great benefit for all. I am indeed very pleased to welcome our new colleagues to Milestone,” says Thomas Jensen, CEO of Milestone Systems.

What began as a Berlin success story is now being continued as a German-Danish sequel – and already gives rise to hopes of many things to come.