Fashion Icon & Businesswoman Tyra Banks Invests in the Future of Mobile Advertising with Locket

NEW YORK, Nov. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Locket, an Android application that brings beautiful content to smartphone lock screens, marks the first Ad Tech investment for Tyra Banks through Fierce Capital, LLC, the investment arm of The Tyra Banks Company.

Locket is the latest of several investments by Fierce Capital, which is expanding its presence in Silicon Valley.  Banks continues to connect with startups who share her innovative and progressive approach to business, and Locket is one of them.  "When I first met with the Locket team, my immediate reaction was, Locket is genius!" says Banks of the Android application.  "It's hard to believe that this idea began with a group of young entrepreneurs working in a small apartment, living off of pizza and ramen to make their startup a reality.  Yunha Kim (CEO and Co-Founder of Locket) is a kick ass female living with five of her male team members to bring her vision to life of disrupting the mobile marketing world."

"We're thrilled to work with an influential and inspirational partner like Tyra Banks," said Yunha Kim.  "As a female founder, I am excited to be able to lean on another female entrepreneur for advice and deep media expertise.  Also, Locket has a firm conviction that the smartphone lock screen space has huge potential for the entertainment industry, and Tyra's involvement and expertise will be extremely valuable in navigating the media landscape."

In just a few months, Locket has surged to over 350,000 users, serving over 10 million impressions every day.  It was named the winner of GMIC's 2013 app Attack competition and has partnered with some of the most well-respected global brands in bringing category creating advertising campaigns to market.  Locket recently launched a software development kit that allows app developers to publish their content on their users' lock screens.  App developers can now use the lock screen as real estate to display visually appealing content and re-engage users.  Locket is currently working with top app developers in various verticals, including sports, entertainment and lifestyle.

On Wednesday, November 20, 2013, Banks and Locket will host an Instagram contest to give one of Banks' Instagram followers a free Locket advertisement to promote his or her business endeavor.  To enter the contest, Banks' followers must post a picture on Instagram of the product or service they would like to advertise with the hashtag #LocketAD by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Standard Time on Monday, November 25.  Banks and Locket will announce the winner of the contest on Banks' Instagram profile on Wednesday, November 27 at 3:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time.

About Fierce Capital, LLC

Fierce Capital, LLC identifies, develops and invests in early-stage startup companies, including firms that are female-led or female-focused. Through Fierce Capital, Tyra Banks supports businesses through brand alignment and/or financial support that entrepreneurs might find difficult to procure through other VC channels. Through Tyra's brand capital, Fierce Capital will help promising startups raise capital and develop profitable business strategies. These businesses will have the opportunity to leverage Tyra's social and traditional media sphere of influence and tap into The Tyra Banks Company's extensive network to build significant business relationships.

About Locket, Inc.

Locket, Inc. is an NYC & SF-based company that delivers beautiful, print-quality content on smartphone lock screens through its Android application Locket which can be found in Google Play store here - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.locket.android. Locket recently introduced a developer platform that allows app developers to re-engage and acquire users by placing interesting content on users' lock screens. App developers can get the SDK here http://developers.getlocket.com/

SOURCE Fierce Capital, LLC