Indiegraf, a pioneering platform dedicated to transforming the economics of local news and content businesses, has announced the closing of a US$2.2 million seed funding round. The financing, led by Toronto-based StandUp Ventures, with participation from Coralus and Mucker Capital, will fuel Indiegraf to empower independent media entrepreneurs across North America and beyond.
StandUp Ventures, the lead investor, expressed strong confidence in Indiegraf's vision. "We believe that the most important media organizations of the future are just getting started or don’t yet exist,” said Michelle McBane, managing director of StandUp Ventures. "Indiegraf's smart and original approach to empowering the next wave of media entrepreneurs makes them the ideal partner to lead this transformation."
“Indiegraf makes journalism possible in communities that cannot support the traditional business model of newspapers and radio,” said Erin Millar, CEO of Indiegraf. “A generational transition of media ownership is underway, from large corporate to community ownership. Indiegraf is at the center of this movement, ensuring that both aspiring content creators and established news organizations can access everything they need to build media businesses that thrive, not only in affluent urban communities but in lower income and news deserts too.”
Indiegraf's unique value proposition lies in its comprehensive "media business in a box" solution, which includes a comprehensive news website builder, email newsletter platform, supporter payment system, advertising platform, expert marketplace and access to growth capital. The platform has already powered over 150 community media businesses operating in multiple languages including, English, Spanish and French. By providing intuitive and cost effective tools to build and scale media businesses Indiegraf is not only able to provide a compelling solution for established digital and print news businesses looking to innovate their operations but also empower a new wave of content creators and information influencers who are redefining local media.
The capital raised will be strategically deployed to further expand Indiegraf's platform, making it accessible to more local media entrepreneurs, particularly in underserved communities across the United States and Latin America.
Speaking to why it was so keen to participate in the round, Vicki Saunders, founder of Coralus commented, “The Coralus community’s early investments in Indiegraf founding team Erin and Caitlin changed the Canadian news ecosystem. We couldn’t be more excited to make our first equity investment to ensure these founders have access to sufficient aligned capital to take their impact global.”
The funding round comes at a pivotal moment in the media landscape. With U.S. digital newspaper ad revenue expected to surpass print by 2026, a first for any of the world’s major media markets, Indiegraf is perfectly positioned to take a lead in the next wave of media innovation.
*Local News Initiative - The State of Local News 2023 (source)
About Indiegraf:
Indiegraf is dedicated to democratizing news and content entrepreneurship, making it accessible to everyone, everywhere. Our innovative, cost-efficient platform empowers independent publishers to create sustainable media businesses that serve their communities. Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, with a distributed team across North and Latin America, Indiegraf is innovating the economics of local media, ensuring that diverse voices can thrive in every community.
For more information, please visit https://indiegraf.com.
 and Caitlin Havlak (right), Co-Founders of Indiegraf - cropped.jpg)
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