London, 3rd July 2019 – Blaize, a customer experience platform for the subscription economy, has raised a £2.5M Seed round from Pan-European VC, Nauta Capital.
The London-based SaaS company enables businesses to design and roll-out highly personalised digital subscription journeys. Through Blaize, non-technical teams can utilise intuitive, code-free drag-and-drop functionality to test and deliver trial, sell and up-sell journeys in real-time.
Featuring IAM (identity and access management), a dynamic CDN (content delivery network) and a data-driven paywall, Blaize enables publishers and brands to quickly create digital subscription offerings at scale without technical infrastructure changes – resulting in double-digit percentage increases in monthly revenue and renewals.
The Blaize platform will power a shift toward subscription-based business models, predicted to impact 75% of businesses selling direct to consumers by 2023. The solution enables frictionless interactions for consumers who are increasingly demanding new ways in which they can customise relationships with brands to derive greater value.
“The the rapid growth of the subscription economy means companies across all industries must transition from static, ‘one-size fits all’ digital journeys to personalised unique experiences for every consumer. For media, this need is compounded by a massive decline in advertising revenue. Blaize makes it possible to address these challenges head-on at speed and at scale,” explains CEO, James Henderson.
“We believe Blaize is uniquely positioned to be the go-to solution for all subscription businesses; from the media and entertainment industry to e-commerce, finance and enterprise SaaS. In less than a year – and without external funding – James and the team have built a highly reputable customer-base and achieved great commercial traction, so we are excited to join Blaize on this incredible journey.”
While the Blaize solution is applicable to subscription businesses across a variety of sectors, the company has quickly established prominence in the $200bn media and entertainment space, counting leading media brands including NewsCorp, Dennis Publishing, TheStreet, and DC Thomson as customers.
Launched in 2018, the company is led by co-founder and CEO James Henderson, who conceived Blaize while leading the technical strategy consulting firm, Odin Solutions.
Carles Ferrer, Nauta Capital’s London-based General Partner will be joining Blaize’s board and will support the company’s growth plans.
Commenting on the round, Carles said: “We believe Blaize is uniquely positioned to be the go-to solution for all subscription businesses; from the media and entertainment industry to e-commerce, finance and enterprise SaaS. In less than a year – and without external funding – James and the team have built a highly reputable customer-base and achieved great commercial traction, so we are excited to join Blaize on this incredible journey.”
The £2.5M investment will allow Blaize to double down the team to meet growing demand and expand their commercial offering across the pond.
Commenting on the round, James said: “Partnering with Nauta on this investment round will enable us to scale our technology and commercial teams, increase our market share in the media sector, then move into new verticals. Nauta has a proven track record in backing and supporting highly successful B2B software businesses, so we’re delighted to be gaining access to their expertise and community.”
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For more information about this press release, contact:
Sam Ahmed | sam.ahmed@nautacapital.com
About Blaize
Blaize is a technology company that helps media businesses and brands to gear up for the subscription economy. Its SaaS platform enables the swift and scalable deployment and optimisation of unique personalised subscriptions and experiences. Founded in 2018 and based in London, Blaize works with a range of international clients including NewsCorp, Dennis Publishing and The Consumers’ Association, helping them to build sustainable, long-term customer value. For more information go to www.blaize.io or email info@blaize.io
About Nauta Capital
Nauta Capital is a pan-European Venture Capital firm investing in early-stage technology companies, with offices in London, Barcelona and Munich. Nauta’s main areas of investment interests include B2B software propositions, disruptive digital media companies, and enabling technologies for mobile and the Internet. Nauta has €365M million under management and invests in Western Europe. Nauta has led investments in more than 50 companies including Brandwatch, Marfeel, Nextail, Holded, MishiPay, Mercaux, ForceManager, GetApp, BeMyEYe, Geoblink, Smarp, Talentry and ABA English. www.nautacapital.com