Marketing group WPP and Unilever Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of consumer goods producer Unilever, have co-led a $15m round for US-based digital advertising software provider Celtra.
Celtra has built a cloud-based creative management platform for digital advertisers. WPP and Unilever invested as part of a partnership agreement that will involve Celtra’s technology being used across Unilever’s worldwide marketing organisation.
Keith Weed, Unilever’s chief marketing officer, said: “Creative is an increasingly complex challenge for large advertisers and one that is constantly changing due to rapid evolution of media consumption.
“People deserve advertising that feels native to each medium and delivers emotional value. Celtra helps us deliver that at global scale.”
Martin Sorrell, chief executive of WPP, added: “We believe the market is due for a creative management solution that can deliver real-time data driven creative at scale and tailored for every individual, across media channels.
“Celtra is a leader in this space. This investment is in line with WPP’s commitment to technology, data and content, which, along with horizontality, new markets and new media, comprise the group’s four strategic priorities.”
The company has now raised more than $25m altogether. Venture capital fund RSG Capital provided $1.2m of series A funding in 2009 before Celtra added $5m from GrandBanks Capital and Fairhaven Capital two years later.
SoftBank Capital, a corporate venturing subsidiary of telecommunications firm SoftBank, led a $4m round for Celtra in 2013, investing together with GrandBanks Capital and Fairhaven Capital.