Applicaster, the company “simplifying the production, delivery and maintenance of direct-to-consumer media applications,” has recently secured some $20 million growth round of funding.
The funding round, led by Viola Growth and backed by further investment from 83 North, Pitango, Saban Ventures, and Planven Investments, will be used to expand the company’s global presence and product set, “ensuring that media brands are able to extend their business capabilities and deliver engaging digital media experiences across various platforms.”
The access to capital is concurrent to the strategic appointment of key executives.
“The way we consume media changes everyday, and content providers must continually innovate to ensure they are reaching their audiences in a relevant and timely manner,” said Eran Westman, partner at Viola Growth, who will also join the company’s board. “Applicaster brings speed and accessibility to these companies in an autonomous way, and has positioned itself to grow and evolve with their clients and the industry. We believe the category will continue to grow and that Applicaster, with its agnostic, flexible and robust platform, will be the natural partner.”
Applicaster’s SaaS app management platform, Zapp, includes everything brands need to prototype, develop, and maintain direct-to-consumer apps across phones, tablets, and connected TV devices. Clients working with Applicaster are able to reduce costs, increase audience engagement, improve time-to-market and innovate quickly to stay ahead of their competition.
“In the past year, we’ve seen tremendous growth,” said Jonathan Laor, CEO of Applicaster. “As the public continues to consume content in various ways – whether that’s on a TV screen, through a mobile app or widget – brands must consider how to increase their business capabilities to match this constant evolution and reach their audiences in creative ways. At Applicaster, we’re eager to continue working with content providers to ultimately ensure viewers are engaged and receptive.”
In advance of the funding round, Jim Bennette has joined Applicaster as VP of Sales and is focused on expanding the company’s client base in North America. Bennette joins the team from Nokia, where he served as VP of Business Development, and Adobe, where he served as Director of Business Development.
Additionally, Mark Cokes was appointed VP of Marketing to oversee the global marketing team. Prior to joining Applicaster, Cokes served as the VP of Product and Corporate Marketing at Ooyala.
