GV, a corporate venture capital subsidiary of internet and technology firm Alphabet, has led a $10m series A round for US-based podcasting app developer Anchor that included media company Chernin Group.
Venture capital firms Accel, Betaworks Ventures, Eniac Ventures and Homebrew also contributed capital to the round, as did angel investors Craig Kallman and Nir Eyal.
Founded in 2015, Anchor has developed an app that simplifies the podcast production process, allowing users to create audio content by recording straight from their phone.
The app’s features include the ability to host talk-show style phone interviews, insert music tracks through partnerships with Spotify and Apple Music, and post recordings to Google Play and Apple Podcasts.
Anchor has raised approximately $15m in venture funding altogether, including $1.6m in a February 2016 round co-led by SV Angel and Eniac Ventures with contributions from Acequia Capital, Betaworks, CrunchFund, Homebrew, Quire and various angel investors.
The company added $2.8m in a March 2017 round led by Accel with participation from Chernin Group, Omidyar Network, Eniac Ventures and angel investor Mick Batyske,.
GV general partner MG Siegler told TechCrunch: “Audio is having a moment. We have seen this with the rise of Amazon Echo, Google Home and Apple AirPods.
“Anchor is one of the companies in prime position to take advantage of all of this and move the audio space forward, in particular when it comes to interaction and production.”
– Image courtesy of Anchor FM Inc.