Appear Here, a UK-based marketplace for short-term retail space, has closed a $12m series B round that featured Simon Venture Group, the corporate venturing unit of real estate business Simon Property Group.
The round was led by Octopus Ventures and included Balderton Capital, MMC Ventures, Meyer Bergman and Playfair Capital. Rebecca Hunt, investment manager at Octopus Ventures, will join Appear Here’s board of directors.
Founded in 2013, Appear Here’s platform enables entrepreneurs to book temporary retail space for pop-up stores. The company provides a concierge team, while landlords can use a dedicated dashboard to manage their portfolio, track revenue and analyse performance.
Simon Property Group is among more than 1,000 landlords that have agreed to exclusively lease space through Appear Here.
The company, which has offices in Paris and New York City, will use the money to continue its international expansion efforts, drive executive recruitment and further develop the data science component of its platform.
Appear Here has now raised a total of $21.4m in funding, according to its latest press release. Balderton led its $7.5m series A round in 2014, investing alongside MMC, Meyer Bergman and Forward Investment Partners.
Howzat Partners led the company’s £1m ($1.3m) seed round in 2013 with participation from Meyer Bergman, Playfair, Ballpark Ventures, Miroma Ventures and angel investor Marc Hazan.
Natalie Hwang, managing director of Simon Venture Group, said: “Simon Ventures is focused on supporting dynamic founders who are leading next gen commerce through innovative experiences and transformative technologies.
“Beyond serving as a vector for behaviour change, Appear Here allows brands to leverage space and drive experiences that can best establish connections in the digital age. We are excited to support [founder and CEO Ross Bailey] in his efforts.”