Playbuzz, the US-based creator of an interactive platform for narrative content, raised $35m on Wednesday in a series C round backed by media and entertainment group Walt Disney.
The round was led by Viola Growth, private equity group Viola Group’s growth equity fund, and also featured Saban Ventures, the venture capital arm of investment firm Saban Capital, as well as 83North, Carmel Ventures, FirstTime Ventures and private investor Oded Vardi.
Founded in 2012, Playbuzz offers a platform that enables brands and publishers to create interactive, visually appealing, story-based advertising. The software is also equipped with real-time analytics tools that can track audience impact and facilitate monetisation.
The company has now raised $66m altogether, it said. Disney, Saban Ventures, 83North, Carmel Ventures and FirstTime had all participated in its last round, a $15m series C that closed in April 2016.
Shaul Olmert, Playbuzz’s co-founder and CEO, said: “Playbuzz’s evolution into providing monetised content solutions to publishers and brands is of substantial value to our partners in their effort to increase readers’ attention spans and content viewability.
“Moving forward, Playbuzz will continue to drive engagement with interactive storytelling tools while answering partners’ content, revenue and data needs all in one place.”