CrowdRiff Raises $2 Million From Leading Investors to Launch Visual Influence Platform

Toronto, Canada, March 16, 2016 (Newswire.com) - ​​​​​​CrowdRiff today announced $2 million (USD) in Series Seed funding and a 400% growth in customers in 2015, making it the number one visual and social marketing solution for destination and travel brands.

The investment from BDC Capital, Gibraltar Ventures, High Alpha Capital and Foundation Capital will be used to drive product innovation, accelerate hiring in sales and marketing and build out their visual influence platform.

We are impressed with CrowdRiff's growth, robust technology platform and bold vision for transforming how organizations leverage social photos.

Scott Dorsey, Managing Partner at High Alpha Capital

“We are excited to partner with Dan and the CrowdRiff team as they embark on empowering brand marketers to obtain greater engagement through access to authentic visual imagery”, cited Cam di Prata, Founder and Managing Partner of Gibraltar Ventures and a CrowdRiff director.

“We are impressed with CrowdRiff’s growth, robust technology platform and bold vision for transforming how organizations leverage social photos to power their websites, blogs and other marketing channels,” said Scott Dorsey, Managing Partner at High Alpha Capital, and former Co-Founder & CEO of ExactTarget. “We are delighted to be investing in Dan and the CrowdRiff team.”

“Using photos and videos to promote your brand has completely changed in the last few years with customers demanding authenticity, variety and immediacy — and that's what CrowdRiff delivers,” says CrowdRiff Co-founder and CEO Dan Holowack.

Customers like Colorado Tourism, Travel Portland and Explore British Columbia use CrowdRiff to power their websites, blogs and advertising with authentic, emotionally-engaging photos. Dave Fluegge, director of social and emerging media at Colorado Tourism, has been amazed with the results saying, “CrowdRiff gives us a level of engagement with potential visitors that we’ve never seen with another tool.”

"The value we’re delivering for destination and travel brands is only the beginning,” says Holowack.   “Today, every business markets an experience, not just destinations.  CrowdRiff can help any brand become more aspirational and inspirational, leading the consumer to an engaging, authentic experience that extends beyond the product itself.”

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About CrowdRiff:
​CrowdRiff is the leading visual and social marketing solution for destination and travel brands. They make it easy for customers to have the best photos and videos and use them to create compelling experiences across their digital channels, easily and intuitively. CrowdRiff customers include Colorado Tourism, Travel Portland, Explore British Columbia, Azamara Cruises, Shedd Aquarium, Pebble Beach Resorts and the Royal Ontario Museum. Visit CrowdRiff.com for more information.

About Gibraltar Ventures:
Gibraltar Ventures invests in early-stage technology-enabled, consumer-facing companies with established product-market fit. Its business purpose is to make portfolio companies stronger and more competitive by accelerating their revenue growth. We achieve this by providing portfolio companies with strategic, sales and business development expertise, access to a network of senior corporate decision-makers and access to growth capital. We do so in partnership with entrepreneurs and our chosen investor partners. Read more at gibraltarcompany.ca.

About High Alpha Capital:
High Alpha is a venture studio focused on conceiving, launching and scaling next-generation enterprise cloud companies by uniting company creation with venture funding. The High Alpha Capital portfolio includes TinderBox, Sigstr, G2 Crowd, Narvar, TINYpulse and CrowdRiff. For more information: highalpha.com.

About BDC Capital:
A subsidiary of BDC, BDC Capital offers a full spectrum of specialized financing and investment solutions to help Canadian entrepreneurs achieve their full growth potential. With more than $1.6 billion under management, BDC Capital takes a strategic, patient approach to nurture companies’ development over the long term. From venture capital to equity to growth and transition capital, our team of over 100 experienced, local professionals partner with entrepreneurs to identify and meet their needs on flexible terms. Some of the sectors in which we specialize include IT, industrial/clean/energy technology, and healthcare. For more information, please visit www.bdccapital.ca or follow us on Twitter at @BDC_Capital.

About Foundation Capital:
Foundation Capital is currently invested in more than 60 high-growth ventures in the areas of consumer, information technology, software, digital energy, financial technology and marketing technology. These investments include AdRoll, Beepi, Bolt Threads, Dog Vacay, Kik, ForgeRock, Lending Home, Localytics and Visier. The firm's twenty-six IPOs include Lending Club, OnDeck, Chegg, Sunrun, MobileIron, Control4, TubeMogul, Envestnet, Financial Engines, Netflix, NetZero, Responsys and Silver Spring Networks. Read more at foundationcapital.com.

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