27th October 2010 – London – Rockabox Media today announced that it has secured Series A financing from Frog Capital to enhance its innovative Shutters video technology and Viewshare online content distribution platform. Frog Capital Partner, Mike Reid, will join the board.
Founded in 2008 by technology entrepreneur James Booth and TV executive Torie Chilcott, Rockabox creates and delivers engaging cross-media entertainment formats that are supported by a unique marketing methodology and an innovative technology platform.
Consumption of online video is exploding while the boundaries between TV, online and mobile are becoming increasingly blurred. Combined with the rise of social networking, major brands now find it ever-more complex to reach and connect with their audiences, while intrusive online advertising methods like pre-roll can cause consumer irritation and limit marketing effectiveness.
Rockabox is one of a new breed of companies that understands this rapidly evolving landscape. It boasts senior executive expertise that spans prime-time TV format creation, video content production, high-volume online video ad serving and technology that enables effective tracking across personal computers, smart phones and tablet formats.
James Booth founded Tangozebra and built it into the leading rich media ad serving player in Europe before it was acquired by DoubleClick/Google in 2007. He is widely recognised as one of the most influential people in today’s new media business. Torie Chilcott’s TV format accomplishments include running the Factual Entertainment Development Department of FremantleMedia, creating ‘The Farmer Wants a Wife’ for ITV and co-writing ‘Pop Idol’ for Simon Fuller and Simon Cowell.
James Booth says: “In a world obsessed with social media and in-control media consumption, brands and publishers have many challenges for winning the hearts and minds of consumers and retaining them on a positive journey. When we started Rockabox, the landscape that allowed brands to align themselves successfully with content across the broadest of media channels hadn’t evolved; our challenge has been to create that landscape for which we have had to develop marketing methodologies and supporting technology. We now feel ready to scale this proposition and are absolutely delighted to bring in Frog to help us achieve that. I’ve known Mike a long time; he was involved in the early stages of Tangozebra and is a fabulous investor to have on board. We can’t wait to get stuck in for 2011.”
Torie Chilcott adds: “Everyone loves watching great content; we all love to own, share and discuss what we have watched and we don’t care how we consume it. The challenge for traditional broadcasters is not only to engage viewers through television channels but to use these as a shop window to drive activity and interaction online and into mobile. The challenge for online publishers and brands is how to make content work for all stakeholders. James and I created Rockabox to answer these challenges and Rockabox is now leading the way in creating and delivering engaging content that earns brands a high return on investment. Frog Capital’s investment now enables us to roll out our technology, methodology and creative understanding across the markets; it’s all very exciting.”
Commenting on Frog’s investment, Mike Reid says: “I invested in James and Tangozebra and I’m delighted to back him again. He encapsulates the essence of a British web entrepreneur: intensely focused, highly creative, seriously under-stated but a complete game changer. James and Torie are establishing themselves as the authority in cross-media entertainment.”
Lewis Silkin was the legal adviser on the investment.
About Frog Capital
Frog Capital is a London-based European investment firm, specialising in growth capital for technology-driven businesses across the cleantech and IT & digital media sectors. With €100m under management, Frog seeks to lead or partner in investments where companies require between €2 million and €20 million of funding for expansion capital, minority purchases, management buy-outs or acquisitions. Occasionally, Frog invests in quoted companies. Frog’s recent investments include agri.capital, Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies, Hydrodec, Solar Century, eCommera, and BuyVIP. For more information, visit www.frogcapital.com.
About Rockabox Media
Rockabox Media is a new breed of cross-media IP-creation and exploitation business. Through a unique combination of marketing methodology, proprietary technology, a rapidly growing online video content-distribution platform and privileged access to talent, Rockabox specialises in realising powerful content-related and social-media marketing opportunities for brands, advertisers and publishers. For more information, visit www.rockaboxmedia.com.