The web is very much a visual medium, and professional photographers have literally billions of high-quality images laying dormant on their hard drives. Add to the equation the fact that agencies, publishers, brands, well, just about everyone, needs high quality and sometimes, very specific visuals at some point or another, and it’s no mystery that ImageBrief, an online, on-demand photography and video sourcing platform connecting creative professionals to the world’s leading brands and their agencies, has just raised $750,000 in funding from Great Oaks Venture Capital.
Here’s how it works: buyers post a ‘brief’ and photographers in more than 168 countries handpick content specific to the buyer’s request. On time, on budget, without searching.
The three-year-old company’s clients include Ogilvy, TBWA, Publicis, Y&R, BBDO, Conde Nast, Penguin, Simon & Schuster, Coca-Cola, Expedia and Visa.
Founder and CEO Simon Moss is here to give us the full picture.
What was the funding process like?
Great Oaks Venture Capital are a fantastic team to work with and really took the time to learn as much about the business and our industry as possible. Because they focus specifically on platform and marketplace business we were a natural fit. Culturally there is a great fit, too. It’s a bonus to be able to work with a team where there is cultural and philosophical alignment.
What are the biggest challenges that you faced while raising capital?
Shortlisting VC firms based on their genre speciality. Its most helpful if the VC has some knowledge of the industry vs coming in cold and trying to get up to speed.
What factors about your business led your investors to write the check?
User traction and retention, accelerating asset base, team, large market opportunity, business model fit with portfolio thesis.
Founder and CEO
Image Brief
You must have the right graphs (not vanity metrics) that go up and to the right. Until that happens – don’t waste your time because you’ll be seen as too early.
Where do you see the company going now over the near term?
Building out a local engineering team, testing new revenue streams, adding critical features.
What’s your favorite New York area beach?
Haven’t been to one yet. We’re a startup we don’t have time for that quite yet haha 🙂
