LONDON, UK — Newsflare, one of the world’s leading licensing platforms and marketplaces for user-generated video (UGV), has closed a Series B accelerator funding round to fuel faster growth.
The £5m investment, from two of the UK’s leading TMT venture funds, will be used to increase Newsflare’s global footprint, grow its talented team, and expand its Studios and Marketplace business across Europe, North America, and Asia. More people will see Newsflare’s unique and inspiring content – and more money will go back into the creator economy.
Newsflare shares the revenues it generates with a 45,000+ strong global member base of filmers who capture the diverse, unique, and powerful new video content it licenses. The business has returned over US$11 million to individual filmers, mainly people with smartphones in the right place at the right time.
This funding round, led by Foresight Group together with existing investor Edge Investments, will enable Newsflare to grow the number of fully licensed UGV clips on its cutting-edge platform and therefore accelerate growth. The business’ proprietary technology and Trust Algorithm™ authenticates IP ownership and allows customers – including the world’s leading media companies, brands, agencies, and social media platforms – to discover and license UGV content quickly and safely.
Announcing the funding round, Jon Cornwell, Newsflare’s CEO and Co-founder said:
“Video continues to dominate the media landscape with consumption levels rising across a range of formats – online, social, connected, and linear TV. Producers, advertisers, and publishers want ‘raw and authentic’ content to connect with audiences who are devoting an increasing proportion of their attention to UGV capturing what Newsflare has coined “the greatest show on earth”.
“We’re delighted to welcome Foresight Group as a new investor in Newsflare at a time when the Creator Economy is being recognised as one of the commercial opportunities of the age. My thanks go out to the Newsflare team, right around the world. Their passion and commitment to our vision, our values, and our mission are what has made us successful so far and are what make the next stage of our journey so exciting. Finally, thanks also to our existing investors for their unwavering belief and support over the years.”
Newsflare will be investing in three key drivers of growth:
- Proprietary technology – developing ever-more advanced automation to power the search and discovery experience for buyers, the upload and monetisation experience for creators as well as building upon Newsflare’s already well-established rights clearance solution, the Trust Algorithm™.
- Expanding the market-share of Newsflare Marketplace across the UK, US, Europe, and SE Asia – helping publishers, TV producers, brands, and advertisers harness the power of UGV to attract and engage audiences and generate new revenue streams.
- Growing Newsflare Studios social media presence – attracting ever-greater consumer audiences as we showcase the best video from our marketplace.
Lindsay Duebendorfer, Investment Manager, Foresight Group commented: “We are looking forward to supporting Newsflare in continuing its impressive growth trajectory over the coming years, as UGV content is increasingly utilised as a key source of engaging media content. The team have extensive experience and we are pleased they have selected Foresight as their partner at this exciting inflexion point.”
Edge Investments added: “We have backed Newsflare since 2016 and have been impressed by the progress achieved to date. We’re pleased to continue supporting the business and welcome Foresight onboard.”
