Led · Equity · Jul 2015

Gameface Media is the world’s largest publisher of amateur athletic photos, providing branded photos of athletes at obstacle races, triathlons, running races, youth sports and other events. The company distributes these photos for free and monetizes via brand sponsorships and integrated advertising, watermarking images and often asking consumers to watch brief video ads before viewing their photos. In 2014 Gameface gave away nearly 20 million free photos and generated more than 35 million page views per month on its digital platform; the company said it was on track to double those metrics in 2015. Major brands that have run campaigns on the platform include Nike, Under Armour, Jeep, JP Morgan, Disney, Reebok, TomTom and Shutterfly. Gameface reports advertising results that exceed industry norms, citing high watch-to-completion rates for video ads and strong social engagement when branded photos are shared. The company plans to use new funding to expand its brand sales team and build infrastructure to handle rapidly growing demand for its content. Gameface Media operates a platform that delivers free professional photos from amateur sporting events, branded for advertisers and shared by participants. The company supplies photography and social media technology that drives participants to advertisers' websites or Facebook pages, where they may receive customized offers. Gameface Media serves events including the San Francisco Marathon, Warrior Dash, Shamrock Run Portland and Rugged Maniac and says leading consumer brands use its platform to generate large numbers of impressions. The service is positioned as an alternative to expensive photo sales by providing all photos for free, creating authentic social content that produces millions of impressions and can generate hundreds of thousands of impressions at a single event. The company plans to invest the new funding in product development, sales, marketing and client services to scale the business and expand its social media marketing offerings. Gameface describes itself as the largest provider of free sporting event photos in the world.

Participated · Series A · Aug 2014

Madwire’s flagship product, Marketing 360®, is a unified platform that helps SMBs build websites, accept payments, manage leads and customers, book appointments, monitor reviews, manage social media, syndicate listings, run content marketing, and execute multi-channel digital advertising. The company was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado. Co-CEOs Joe and JB Kellogg (a father‑son duo) and CMO/Partner Jerry Kelly lead the management team and will continue in their roles. Madwire positions itself as a combined technology-and-service marketing solutions provider for local businesses and franchises. The company says the recent growth investment will fund expansion in high-value industry verticals, increased automation, and development of enterprise partnerships. Management indicates the capital will support both organic and inorganic growth initiatives. Madwire provides a suite of business management and marketing technologies under the Marketing 360® brand, enabling SMBs to build websites, accept payments, manage leads and customers, appointments, reviews, social media, listings, content marketing, and digital advertising. Customers can use the platform on a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) basis or via Madwire’s Do-It-For-Me (DIFM) account management services. The company expanded its platform with the acquisition of SpaceCraft, adding nearly 10,000 customers and bringing Madwire’s overall paid subscribers to more than 20,000 SMBs. Madwire retained SpaceCraft’s Austin office to support future growth and talent acquisition and positions the acquisition as a way to accelerate platform expansion. The company says the acquisition and platform extension support its mission to help SMBs succeed and enrich communities. Madwire was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado, with an additional office in Austin, Texas. Madwire Media develops Marketing 360, a combined integrated software and professional marketing services platform that centralizes a brand’s marketing channels in one interface. The platform pairs software tools with on-demand cloud talent including marketers, designers, developers, content creators, and video professionals to execute campaigns. Madwire positions Marketing 360 as both a technology product and a services marketplace to allow brands to access and optimize key marketing channels. The company’s stated mission is to continually produce, power and promote the greatest digital marketing platform in the world. Financially, the company recently completed external fundraising to support growth and platform development. The company is based in Loveland, Colorado.