Technology originally developed to help children with autism has attracted backing from leading investors including Li Ka-shing.  Affectiva, which is a spin-off from the MIT Media Lab, has attracted backing of US$12M from Li Ka-shing’s Horizon Ventures as well as Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, alongside existing investors.  

As part of the investment, Frank Meehan of Horizon Ventures is joining Affectiva’s board. Meehan was the founder the CEO of INQ Mobile, the mobile handset vendor. Although originally conceived as a means to help autistic children to better comprehend facial expressions, the firm’s technology is now attracting interest from the advertising industry. Users’ emotions can be detected by Affectiva’s technology and the camera on smartphones or tablets, the firm says.