Online video analytics, distribution firm Epoxy raises $6.5 million
An online tool for video creators that helps edit YouTube videos for posting on Instagram and tracks hidden mentions of the videos on social media has raised $6.5 million in funding, including from Time Warner’s investment group.
The interest in Epoxy, based in Venice, underscores the growing emphasis within the start-up community on understanding who’s watching online videos and how to get them and their friends to watch even more. Achieving those goals promises to bring more ad revenue and subscriptions for content creators and better engagement for advertisers.
Scott Levine, managing director at Time Warner Investments, said in a statement that Epoxy’s focus on social media was attractive. The fund has invested in other video-focused start-ups such as GetGlue, an app for TV fans that later was sold and became tvtag.
“Online video is growing extremely quickly, and social and mobile are key drivers,” Levine said. “Epoxy is prime to meet both the current needs of online video creators and the increasing social and video needs in traditional media.”
When logged on to Epoxy’s service, which starts at $19.99 a month, video-makers can share across YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with charts provided on the best times to post and what hashtags to use. One tool lets user create preview clips that fit within Instagram’s 15-second limit for video.
Epoxy also monitors comments on all of the websites and analyzes the accounts of those commenters and followers to determine whose voice has the most reach and who the top fans are. Epoxy has touted that even though 80% of social media posts related to a video don’t mention the creator, its search tool is still able to dig up such posts. Comments can be responded to from within Epoxy.
The start-up’s early investors include Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments, Advancit Capital, Greycroft Partners and Robert Downey Jr.’s Downey Ventures. Epoxy Chief Executive Juan Bruce formerly worked at Downey’s production firm.
Both Upfront Ventures and Time Warner Investments had a stake in Maker Studios, the online video production house that Walt Disney Co. said in March it would acquire for $500 million.
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