Rapt Media

Rapt Media operated as a developer of a cloud-based interactive video platform, initially founded under the name Flixmaster in 2011. The company was established in Boulder, Colorado, by co-founders Erika Trautman, who served as CEO, and Cameron McCaddon, the COO. Trautman's background as an Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker and investigative reporter fueled her vision to overcome the limitations of passive online video and create more immersive, action-inspiring communication technologies. This experience directly informed the company's focus on deep engagement and behavior transformation through interactive content.

The firm's core business centered on providing enterprise-class interactive video solutions. Its software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform featured a drag-and-drop interface, enabling clients to create non-linear, choice-based video experiences without needing to write code. This technology allowed viewers to control the narrative path, creating personalized experiences that could be used for marketing, customer education, employee training, and recruitment. Key features included the ability to build branching narratives, create clickable hotspots linking to other content, and publish videos across multiple platforms and devices through an embeddable HTML5 player. The business model targeted enterprise companies and strategic solution providers, with a client roster that included prominent names like Deloitte, PwC, Samsung, Philips, and Mercedes-Benz. Data analytics were another crucial component, providing clients with insights into viewer behavior and engagement.

Rapt Media participated in the 2011 TechStars accelerator program and raised a total of $12 million in funding over its lifetime. The company's journey culminated in its acquisition by Kaltura, a major video technology provider, on May 25, 2018. The acquisition was the result of a successful partnership established in 2017 and integrated Rapt Media's branching video technology into Kaltura's broader suite of video engagement tools. Following the acquisition, Rapt Media became an operating subsidiary of Kaltura, and its technology continues to be used to power interactive video experiences for learning, marketing, and customer education.

Keywords: interactive video platform, video branching technology, user-controlled video, personalized video marketing, interactive storytelling, employee training video, customer education video, SaaS, cloud-based video, video engagement analytics, Rapt Media, Kaltura, Erika Trautman, Cameron McCaddon, choice-based narrative, interactive learning, corporate communications, digital marketing tools, lead generation video, recruitment video technology