The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has acquired Meta, a Toronto-based technology company that helps researchers understand what is happening globally in science.
Launched in 2015 by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s goal is to advance human potential through scientific research.
Meta, part of iGan Partners’ portfolio, uses artificial intelligence to read the world’s scientific papers, understand what is in them, and deliver their insights to researchers in real time.
Through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Meta’s capabilities will get united into a single tool and be made available to the scientific community.
“We believe the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is the perfect home for Meta and it will form the backbone of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s goal to make a dent on disease,” said Sam Ifergan, President of iGan Partners.
“We are very excited about what lies ahead,” said Sam Molyneux, CEO of Meta. “Our progress was only possible due to the team, our board, the support of their families and friends, our investors, and the Canadian startup system.”
Other investors in Meta include Rho Canada Ventures, Horizons Ventures, Everline Investments, and angels.
Meta Launches Artificial Intelligence System to Help Scientists Leverage Literature
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg during the keynote address at the F8 Facebook Developer Conference Tuesday, April 12, 2016, in San Francisco. Facebook says people who use its Messenger chat service will soon be able to order flowers, request news articles and talk with businesses by sending them direct text messages. At its annual conference for software developers, Zuckerberg said the company is releasing new tools that businesses can use to build "chat bots," or programs that talk to customers in conversational language. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)