Toxic online speech and false information have transformed content moderation from a peripheral concern into a core operational function for platforms. The rollout of the European Union's Digital Services Act has intensified demand for automated tools that help companies stay compliant. Across Central and Eastern Europe, the sector is experiencing significant consolidation.
TrollWall AI, a Slovakian firm that uses Moderation Agents to automatically suppress harmful comments on social networks, has completed the purchase of rival Elv.ai. The transaction is now closed, and Elv.ai's existing customers—media organisations and government bodies across Slovakia, the Czech Republic and beyond—have transitioned to the TrollWall AI infrastructure. The companies did not reveal the acquisition price.
Two startups, one crisis
Both firms launched in 2022, emerging directly from the explosion of hateful posts and misinformation that swept social platforms after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
TrollWall AI was established by Tomáš Halász, Filip Strýčko, Tomáš Koctúr and Pavol Bujňák. Halász, now the company's chief executive, encountered the challenge directly while overseeing social channels for a European Parliament vice president. Faced with the burden of manually removing thousands of abusive remarks, he partnered with his co-founders to create an automated alternative.
Comment sections are where people form their views of brands and politicians today. Anyone who doesn't keep them under control lets others decide their reputation. Our goal is for TrollWall AI to become the global leader in comment moderation. That is why we are expanding in Europe and the US, and the acquisition of Elv.ai is one step on that path.
Tomáš Halász, CEO of TrollWall AI
Elv.ai took a different path, originating as a grassroots, non-profit initiative called Elfovia.sk housed within the New School Communications agency. The effort sought to manually moderate online conversations for media outlets and public bodies in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The initiative spun out as an independent company in 2023, with founders Gabriel Tóth and Ľudovít Ďurman from New School Communications, Jakub Šuster as chief executive, and backers Milan Dubec and CB ESPRI Impact One. CB ESPRI Impact One had also backed TrollWall AI at the outset.
Market consolidation accelerates
The two Slovak operators had long battled for the same customer base, regularly competing head-to-head during client presentations and haggling over fees. That fierce competition spurred both organisations to move faster and tailor their offerings for languages that multinational technology firms typically neglect. "That is what fair competition looks like, and Europe needs a lot more of it," says Alex Blaga, Head of Media & Political partnerships at TrollWall AI. Now, TrollWall AI has formally taken over elv.ai for an undisclosed amount, positioning itself as the leading player across Europe.
Elv.ai's extensive roster of clients will shift onto the TrollWall AI system. Before the transaction, elv.ai had handled more than 80 million comments, serving as a protective layer for numerous high-profile accounts. TrollWall AI will introduce its own advanced features to these users, such as agentic community management and enterprise-level security protections.
The sale of Elv.ai continues the story of the elves project, which we launched at New School Communications after Russian troops invaded Ukraine. From the very start, we felt how important it is to keep social media clear of hate and disinformation. That makes me all the more pleased that TrollWall AI will carry this mission forward.
Gabriel Tóth, co-founder of Elv.ai and CEO of New School Communications
The merged operation now operates across a wide geographic reach. TrollWall AI already works with organisations in 16 countries spanning Europe, North America and Australia. Its customer base encompasses major political movements, sitting heads of government, and prominent sporting bodies including the International Ice Hockey Federation and AC Sparta Prague.
The deal underscores a maturing European artificial intelligence landscape that prioritises narrow, high-precision applications over efforts to build large general-purpose models. The combined team intends to set a worldwide benchmark for human-centred moderation technology. Whether they can scale this combined operation into other linguistically complex markets remains an open question.
