Flixel Announces $2.2M in Seed Funding to Accelerate Growth and Expand Platforms for Cinemagraphs

Funding Round Led by Extreme Venture Partners along with Cranson Capital Securities and participation from angel investors in Australia and Canada

TORONTO, Oct. 5, 2015 /CNW/ - Flixel Photos Inc., a visual storytelling company that enables content creators to easily produce cinemagraphs, today announced they've closed $2.2 million in a seed funding round led by Extreme Venture Partners, a Toronto-based VC firm and technology accelerator and Cranson Capital Securities, a boutique investment banking firm. The round also included participation from existing investors as well as angel investors in Australia and Canada. Cranson Capital also assisted in the round. The company will use the investment to expand its suite of products, and to build on the success of brand partnerships with the Emmys, Facebook, Instagram, America's Next Top Model, and A&E.  

"Cinemagraphs have the potential to transform the creative and advertising world and we've been paying close attention to Flixel since they launched in 2011," said Managing Director, Extreme Venture Partners, Sunil Sharma. "The company has captured the imagination of creatives everywhere with their suite of cinemagraph creation apps which presents huge potential for success among photographers, videographers and digital marketers." 

Cinemagraphs are a new visual medium that live between still photography and videography: a still photo in which a minor but repeated movement occurs. Flixel apps use a patent-pending feature that makes it simple to turn short videos into magical living photos for the web, social media ads, offline display and broadcast television. The company's product lineup includes Cinemagraph Pro for Mac, a 2014 Apple Design Award Winner and Best of 2014 app; Cinemagraph Pro for iOS; and the Persecond time-lapse video application, all of which are available for one-time purchase or as a monthly subscription.

"Over the last two years we've evolved our vision for cinemagraphs from a simple mobile app to a full product suite of creative tools for professionals," said Flixel CEO and Co-founder, Philippe LeBlanc. "It's exciting to see the rapid adoption of Flixel among top brands and agencies and we're confident that cinemagraphs will take their place alongside video and still photography as a premium advertising medium."

Flixel recently partnered with the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards to create a series of 13 living photos leading up to the event, which included cinemagraphs of this year's host Andy Samberg, as well as cinemagraphs from past events. The Flixel Studio team was backstage at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles with celebrity photographer Michael Grecco shooting real-time cinemagraphs at a Flixel Photobooth to capture live reactions from this year's Emmy winners and presenters, which were shared on social media channels during the broadcast.

Flixel has an in-house production group called Flixel Studios that creates custom cinemagraph campaigns for partners like the Emmy Awards. Flixel Studios has worked with leading brands on cinemagraph and micro-video campaigns including Facebook, Instagram, A&E, Panasonic, and several others. The company has attracted interest from prominent celebrities, and has investors including supermodel and businesswoman Tyra Banks.

Flixel is also a silver sponsor at this year's Adobe MAX conference and will showcase Cinemagraph Pro to 6,000 creatives in Los Angeles from October 5 - 7, 2015. Adobe MAX attendees will also have the chance to have their own cinemagraph created which can be used on Facebook's new Video Profiles.

Flixel is available for download on the App Store and online www.flixel.com.

To learn more about Flixel, visit www.flixel.com.

Social media links:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/flixelphotos
Twitter https://twitter.com/Flixel
Instagram https://instagram.com/flixelphotos
Tumblr http://flixelphotos.tumblr.com/
Vine https://vine.co/Flixel

About Flixel
Founded in 2011, Flixel is a Toronto-based startup that offers a suite of tools to photographers, videographers, and marketers to create "Living Photos" or "cinemagraphs" - a still image with moving elements. The company's patent-pending technology allows users to easily create Cinemagraphs on a Mac, iPhone and iPad. Flixel's vision is to become the premier platform for discovering, creating and sharing Cinemagraphs. The company has worked with brands including A&E, Facebook, Instagram, Panasonic, and counts Tyra Banks among its investors.

About Extreme Venture Partners
Extreme Venture Partners (EVP) is one of Canada's most successful venture capital funds over the past decade. With its focus on mobile, EVP (launched in 2007) achieved superior investment returns while helping to launch and help grow more than 20 companies which ultimately lead to over 1000 well paying technology jobs in Canada.

About Cranson Capital
Cranson Capital is a boutique investment banking firm which focuses on providing financial and advisory services to small to medium sized growth businesses. The business consists of two divisions; Cranson Capital Securities and Cranson Capital Solutions, both of which offer unique services to support our investors and entrepreneurs. Cranson Capital Securities is registered with the Ontario Securities Commission as an Exempt Market Dealer and specializes in raising capital from accredited investors for private placements in real estate developments, technology start-ups and high growth companies. Cranson Capital Solutions is a corporate finance advisory firm which focuses on finding the right financing solutions for our entrepreneurs. For more information visit: www.cransoncapital.com.

SOURCE Flixel