FlixMaster lands VC for interactive video

BOULDER — FlixMaster Inc., a Boulder-based creator of a software platform that gives an online video interactive capabilities, has secured $1.1 million in additional funding from a syndicate of investors led by New York-based investment firm Golden Seeds.

FlixMaster’s Enterprise Video allows viewers to click on products in a video and drop them directly into a shopping cart or launch product specifications from the video.

“The trick is to capture a viewer’s interest and get them to act without forcing them to another page,” said Erika Trautman, chief executive of FlixMaster, who co-founded the company with Cameron McCaddon. “This is a subtle but fundamental shift in presenting video as an active medium versus a passive experience.”

The company, a 2011 graduate of the TechStars Boulder program, will use the money principally to expand sales and marketing efforts, particularly in the corporate enterprise markets. The company also plans to launch new industry modules for its video editing and deployment platform designed for online retailing, corporate customer service and media markets.

“The promise of Enterprise Video has been high engagement that converts interaction into action,” Trautman said. “The problem is, most videos simply transfer a conventional TV-like experience to the web, and even though most viewers go to the video first, they’re gone in a matter of seconds.

“Brands need to produce interactive video experiences that draw viewers in and keep them there. And companies need to be able to produce those experiences at scale and at a reasonable cost. That’s what FlixMaster offers,” she said.

FlixMaster recently was hired by HBO to develop an interactive online experience for its newly launched Cinemax series, “Banshee.” The online destination, Banshee Origins, provides audiences with an enhanced viewing experience, driven through interaction with the video player itself, and gives them an opportunity to explore the show and interact with its characters and themes. Last summer, FlixMaster’s technology powered a web experience for the USA Network show, “Covert Affairs.”

Online retailers constitute about 30 percent of FlixMaster’s customers.

Golden Seeds primarily invests in businesses started by women. Its member angel network, consisting of 240 men and women nationwide, is the fourth-largest in the United States.

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