Yesterday Israeli startup Anyclip Media, which has developed a content marketing platform for distributing premium branded video, announced it has completed a $21 million funding round. Leading participants included new investors Ervington Investments, a company owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, and Limelight Networks (LLNW), a global digital content delivery company.
Current shareholders Jerusalem Venture Partners and GTI also participated in the round along with other investors Bob Pittman and Mickey Schulhof.
The new funding brings the total raised thus far to $30 million, notes VentureBeat. It will be used for global expansion, a strengthening of the company’s presence in the US, and acquisitions.
AnyClip Media’s in-stream content targeting technology enables content owners, advertisers and publishers to distribute their branded video entertainment to target audiences across over 200,000 sites. “This results in increased revenue for publishers, blending premium video and exceptional ads to drive user engagement, average time on site, and average watch time,” states the company.
The platform serves premium video to 40-80 million unique global consumers monthly. Digital video ad spending will increase 46% in 2015, reflecting a total spend of $10.3 billion, AnyClip indicates, citing a study by the IAB.
From steel, to football, to startups
It is not the first time Abramovich who is famous for his assets in the steel and football industries is investing in an Israeli startup. In May, he invested $500,000 in Medviser, a service which allows Israel’s Russian-speaking doctors to provide remote consultations to patients from the former Soviet Union and other countries.
In April 2015, the Russian businessman injected $15 million in Music Messenger, a mobile phone app that allows users to send music to each another for free.
Among Abramovich’s tech assets in other countries are British mobile operator Truphone, in which he put $118 million in 2013, and Impulse VC, a Moscow-based investment fund and incubator launched in October 2013.
