FlixMaster wants to give brands the ability to easily create interactive experiences for viewers. So it’s built a platform for enabling different branching mechanisms between videos, allowing a sort of visual timeline with a choose-your-own adventure aspect to the whole experience. To get that technology in the hands of more brands and content creators, the startup has raised an additional $1.1 million.
Rather than just show a single, unified playlist or one big long-form video, the FlixMaster platform lets content providers create numerous different storyline options, which in turn gives users the ability to determine how a story will play out. Not only does that create a more compelling, interactive experience, but it keeps users more engaged and paying closer attention to what they’re watching.
The Boulder, Colo.-based company is a graduate of the TechStars 2011 Summer class. Since then, it’s hooked a few networks who are using the platform to build interactive experiences to augment their traditional TV shows.
HBO, for instance, used the platform for the launch of its Cinemax original series “Banshee.” With Flixmaster, the network was able to create an interactive tie-in to the show called Banshee Origins. Previously, USA Network used the platform to create a promotional web experience for its show “Covert Affairs.”
According to Erika Trautman, co-founder and CEO of FlixMaster, the funding will be used mostly to hire sales and marketing people, to bring the technology to other content providers. While some of its biggest engagements have been with networks, retailers and brands can also take advantage of the platform to create engaging ad experiences. There’s also the possibility of extending the platform into enterprise environments, where it could be used for training purposes.
The new round of funding was led by New York-based investment firm Golden Seeds. FlixMaster had previously raised $1.1 million from a group of investors that included Walt Winshall, Jim Katzman, Harris Barton, Nancy Pierce, Walter Loewenstern, Sue Heilbronner, Dave Carlson, and the TEEC Angel Fund.