Ebyline, a US-based online marketplace for freelance journalists, previously backed by media conglomerate EW Scripps, has been acquired by sponsorship platform Izea.
The deal is worth $8.85m and was implemented through a stock and cash purchase, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Scripps invested $1.5m in Ebyline in 2010 and followed the investment with a further $5m in series B funding the following year.
Launched by veterans of news publication the LA Times, Ebyline offers publishers access to more than 12,000 freelance writers and illustrators, including more than 2,000 fully-vetted professional journalists with experience at publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Wired.
Izea, which connects bloggers and content creators to brands for the purpose of corporate-sponsored posts, will integrate Ebyline into its platform over the course of this year.
Ebyline’s corporate clients include publishers such as Forbes, Tribune and Associated Press, and it has also catered to a range of custom-branded content requirements by companies including clothing company Levi’s and software company Microsoft.