Contact, a platform that seeks to empower creative talent around the world, has raised a £3 million seed round of funding.
Contact says it helps talent such as models and photographers to take control over their careers, while simplifying the process for brands to source, book and communicate with talent.
The round was led by Rhino Ventures, a Vancouver-based venture capital firm, with participation from advisor and Game of Thrones actress Maisie Williams, Founders Fund and several other international investors.
Contact says the funding will accelerate the development of enhanced product features that more seamlessly embed it in both brands’ and talent’s workflows, as well as extend the platform to more creative verticals.
Founded in 2020 by Reuben Selby, 25, Contact enables organisations to book creative talent while eliminating the friction of interfacing with agents and managers, convoluted email traffic and cumbersome invoicing practices.
“Partnering with Rhino Ventures marks a significant step toward our vision of empowering creatives to drive their own distribution and monetisation,” said Selby. “With this funding, we will be able to accelerate the development of product features and tools that continue to expand the opportunity set, both economically and creatively, for creative talent everywhere.”
Contact represents Rhino Ventures’ third investment out of its $120m Fund 3. It marks the first investment outside of North America as part of its global entrepreneur enablement thesis.
Partner David Hogarth commented: “Contact’s solution empowers creatives and brands to find success in an industry that largely neglected them. By providing a scalable platform for creative talent to manage and grow their businesses, creatives worldwide can focus on what they do best.
“Our investment is underpinned by conviction in a strong founder with a winning product and our continued belief in the entrepreneur enablement category. In an industry long overdue for disruption, Reuben and the team at Contact seem like they were born to deliver it.”