Havas invests in Ostro's AI platform

Havas has invested in Ostro, an AI-powered digital engagement platform for life sciences brands. This move gives the global advertising company access to the latter's technology for its global ecosystem and offers support for Havas Health Network's clientele. The ad network also plans to extend this access to Havas Creative and Media Networks' content workflows and omnichannel activations to achieve enhanced media precision.

American independent investment banking and financial services company Houlihan Lokey served as the advisor for the deal.

The investment represents the latest in a series of strategic moves by Havas. “By combining creativity with AI-powered intelligence, we are empowering clients to deliver relevant, personalised, and compliant experiences at scale,” said Donna Murphy, global CEO of Havas Health & Creative Networks.

Ostro claims that many of the top 10 global biopharma companies are its clients and its platform adoption is also accelerating across mid-sized pharma and emerging biotech organisations. According to a company press release, the platform supports engagement that adjusts to every phase in a patient's healthcare journey.

“Ostro was built to make healthcare engagement more intuitive and personalised. Partnering with Havas gives us a global platform to scale,” said Dr Chase Feiger, CEO & co-founder, Ostro.

Ostro's technology integrates into branded and unbranded healthcare providers (HCPs) and patient digital experiences, enabling agent-led personalised engagement. It also meets all the applicable regulatory compliances and standards. It enables organisations to connect with patients, caregivers and healthcare providers through digital channels.

“Ostro’s technology doesn’t respond with static one-size-fits-all content; it is context-enabled,” said Ahmed Elsayyad, president and co-founder, Ostro. 

The strategic investment by Havas has been part of the group’s €400 million investment in data, tech and AI over four years, as announced last year. As part of its global transformation strategy, the company had announced that it would strengthen its capabilities across media, creative, and health networks. Under this initaitive, it has been integrating AI into content creation, audience engagement, and performance measurement. This is being done by Havas across its agencies to automate workflows and improve targeting.