The new investment will enable RollUp Media, which publicly launched in the UK and Australia in May, to continue expansion of its service to help niche and independent publishers grow their businesses profitably, by providing a bespoke suite of platform, tools and services.
The funding announcement follows the news of a partnership with Everyday Health Inc, in June, to launch and operate their flagship properties Everyday Health and What To Expect in Europe and Asia.
“We decided to invest in Rollup Media because they have identified clearly the needs of both independent publishers and the advertising community. This, together with a team highly experienced in both publishing and advertising, makes a compelling investment case,” says Joshua Green, Investment Director at Arts Alliance, “The company is poised to benefit from both the rapid growth in the independent publishing market and in the process of content-driven advertising”.
Ben Regensburger, CEO of RollUp Media comments, “We are thrilled to be working with the Arts Alliance team, not least because of their successful track record in supporting the digital media industry and adding value to their portfolio companies. We’ve come a long way in a short time and securing the funding for further expansion ensures we will maintain our momentum”.
RollUp Media was founded in 2011 by a team of leading industry professionals with successful careers at top digital companies including Google, DoubleClick, Brightcove and Lycos. The Company is on a mission to help independent publishers – those with a unique, authentic voice creating quality content - build successful digital businesses, and to help advertisers and agencies creatively and effectively reach these audiences. More than 30 publishers spanning the health& lifestyle, family & parenting, style & fashion, and career verticals have joined RollUp Media since the official launch of the platform and services earlier this year, already making the RUM Network a Top 5 network in the UK in Health (comScore); and Top 5 in Health and Career in Australia (Nielsen), says the company.
Investors in RollUp Media include Arts Alliance, Lynx Capital – the Manor family investment arm in high-tech, led by Assaf Topaz; and business angels Peter Read (Metacafe investor) and Karim Attia (Nugg.ad co-founder).
RollUp Media Non-Executive Directors include: David Rosenblatt, CEO of 1stdibs.com, co-founder and Chairman of Group Commerce and former CEO of DoubleClick; and Anil Hansjee, formerly responsible for Google’s acquisitions and strategic investments and building relationships with the early stage technology community, who is now an investor in early seed internet companies.
About RollUp Media
RollUp Media says: “RollUp Media is on a mission to help independent publishers build successful digital businesses by providing them with the tools to manage content, SEO, SMO, multichannel distribution and revenue generation so that they can focus on what they love and do best – creating and curating high quality content and conversations. RollUp Media also works with the most forward thinking advertisers and agencies to help them create engaging advertising experiences to become part of the conversation with this network of online influencers.”
