Moontoast said it raised $5 million in Series B financing in a deal led by the Martin Companies of Nashville and joined by prior investors.
PRESS RELEASE
Innovative Social Rich Media Advertising Platform Moontoast Secures $5 Million in Series B Financing
Moontoast’s Social Activation Platform Empowers Brands and Agencies to Maximize Social Advertising ROI
Nashville, Tenn. and Boston, Mass., January 15, 2013 – Moontoast, an innovative social rich media advertising platform, today announced that it has raised $5 million in Series B financing. The Martin Companies, LLC of Nashville led the round, with participation from other prior investors. The investment will be used to support the further development of Moontoast’s innovative Social Activation Platform, the company’s growing business development, sales and client services efforts, and the expansion of its marketing and product development teams.
Moontoast today also unveiled the latest version of its Social Activation platform, the industry’s leading social rich media advertising platform. The platform empowers brands and agencies to maximize their Social Advertising ROI by distributing interactive, transactional rich media ads that provide premium social experiences, and deliver measurable business results and actionable insights. The Moontoast platform is leveraged by today’s top brands including Universal, Lexus, Nike, Ford, Lady Antebellum, Time Inc. and Simon Schuster.
“Moontoast is a clear leader in the rapidly changing social advertising market, offering a scalable, comprehensive rich media platform that delivers demonstrable social ROI by creating deeper brand engagement within today’s dynamic social landscape,” said Martin Companies Managing Director, Les Wilkinson. “The company’s highly talented management team has proven that it can successfully innovate and execute to serve the social advertising needs of its high-profile clients.”
“Moontoast’s innovative approach addresses all facets of social advertising from discovery to engagement, with a keen understanding of today’s social landscape and tomorrow’s social shifts – allowing brands to take their social activity and fan communities to the next level,” said Stephen Collins, a Moontoast board member and the CEO of Bazaarvoice. “I’m incredibly impressed with the team’s traction to date – and look forward to what promises to be a successful 2013.”
“The additional funding is a testament to Moontoast’s superior ability to tap into the changing dynamics of social advertising. In Q4, our clients and agency partners launched more than 90 campaigns using our Social Activation Platform,â€� said Moontoast co-founder and CTO Marcus Whitney. “Top brands and agencies launched a variety of marketing and advertising campaigns including video interaction, lead generation, brand awareness and commerce. These campaigns resulted in proven social ROI, including revenue increases of more than $100K, purchase conversion rates of more than 25% and lead generation conversion rates of more than 70%.”
Smarter Social Starts Here
Moontoast’s innovative DITE methodology (Discovery, Interaction, Transaction, Endorsement) inspires its technology and enables brands to execute social campaigns with rich media experiences that drive consumers along the purchase journey via intelligent targeting on social and mobile. For additional details on the latest version of Moontoast’s Social Activation platform, please visit www.moontoast.com/social-rich-media.
Today’s announcement underscores continued momentum and follows an exciting year-end for Moontoast. In addition to the company’s high-profile client wins in 2012, the company joined forces with several leading software providers that share their vision of creating the world’s best-distributed social advertising and commerce solutions, including ExactTarget, Demandware, Magento, Mercent and PayPal. In June of 2012, Moontoast was also recognized as a Facebook Preferred Marketing Developer (PMD).
About Moontoast
Moontoast is an innovative social rich media advertising solutions leader that delivers premium rich media experiences and social advertising ROI. The company’s Social Activation Platform empowers brands and agencies to maximize their Social Advertising ROI by distributing interactive and transactional Rich Media ads that provide premium social experiences, delivers measurable business results, and creates actionable consumer insights. Moontoast’s innovative DITE methodology (Discovery, Interaction, Transaction, Endorsement) inspires its technology; which enables brands to execute social campaigns, with rich media experiences, that drive consumers along the purchase journey and reaches them through intelligent targeting on social and mobile. Gartner Research has named Moontoast a “Cool Vendor� in Music and eCommerce, and Billboard Magazine called Moontoast a “Top Startup of 2011.� For more information, visitwww.moontoast.com.
