• Iroko

  Led · Equity · Jan 2016

  iROKO is a Nigeria-based online entertainment platform built around Nollywood content, accessible via a website and an Android app that prioritizes downloads over streaming. Its primary product is the Android app, which replaced streaming with subscription downloads that allow users to keep films for up to a year to address slow and costly mobile data in many African countries. The platform currently hosts about 2,500–3,000 titles and plans to rapidly expand its catalog; last year it financed and produced roughly 100 hours of content. With the new funding, iROKO plans to strike content-development deals with up to 20 Nollywood studios and to localize content using voiceovers and subtitles for French, Swahili, and Zulu markets. The company is also re-encoding files to 50–100 MB and exploring battery-efficient playback to mitigate device storage, power, and Android-fragmentation challenges. iROKO expects to generate positive cash flow by the end of the year and has raised $34M since launching in September 2011.

• Maker Studios

  Participated · Series C · Sep 2013

  Maker Studios operates a large YouTube multichannel network, aggregating more than 60,000 channels and 260 million subscribers to generate roughly 4 billion video views per month. The company distributes content from about 80 countries, with roughly half of viewership outside the U.S. Maker aims to expand its international footprint by opening additional offices in Europe and Asia that mirror its Los Angeles headquarters’ audience development, production, and commercial functions. It recently acquired Blip, gaining destination site capabilities and technology for multi-platform distribution to game consoles, streaming boxes, connected TVs, phones and tablets. While YouTube remains its largest distribution point, Maker is pushing distribution across the web and mobile apps to reach new viewers and improve monetization. The new capital will be used primarily to grow the company’s business overseas and support international ad sales and content production. Founded in 2009 by a group of independent YouTubers, Maker Studios operates a creator network that provides audience development, content production, promotion, distribution, and sales and marketing services. The company recruits thousands of creators across verticals including comedy, music, gaming, fashion, and mom programming. Maker aggregates and cross‑promotes creator content to boost audiences and improve monetization. It now attracts more than 2 billion video views per month and ranks among the top three independent YouTube networks for unique viewers and video views. Maker has raised $44 million to date, capital that has supported its fast‑growing content production and distribution partnerships. As part of its recent financing, a Time Warner executive will join the company’s board.

No current team members are available.