Visual.ly, the data visualization and infographics platform that provides on-demand creative services team to companies from its curated freelance workforce, has secured $3.3 million in fresh funding to further fuel the development of its platform.
“The rise of content marketing has generated an unprecedented demand for compelling visual content to address an increasing number of business goals,” notes Matt Cooper, the new CEO of Visually. “As brands struggle to keep pace, Visually serves as a trusted partner, helping brands, publishers, and agencies scale in the short-term or as an ongoing extension of their in-house creative teams.”
Visually intends to invest further in content marketing development and distribution tools having witnessed an 80% growth in average spend per client, through the last 12 months.
Over the past 18 months, Visually has gained recognition in branded content development in the last 18 months and has added to its portfolio a full suite of content solutions for marketers, content strategists, and PR professionals, including branded videos, interactive web experiences, whitepapers and short-form micro-content optimized for distribution on social media channels.
“Visually is changing the way brands source creative services and content,” Cooper added. “Collaborative marketplaces are the future of the service industry, and Visually is the perfect complement to the traditional agency model, providing cost-effective, predictably high-quality content quickly and at scale.”
Brands such as AOL, Red Bull, Twitter, NBC, and P&G are among the 1,300 plus brands that use Visually.
The additional funding was led by Crosslink with investments from 500 Startups, Mitch Kapor Foundation and SoftTech VC. Matt Cooper, of oDesk, has been hired as CEO and Board Member while  Silicon Valley veteran and investor Mark Goines as Chairman of the Board. This investment raised the total funding to date to $15.4M.
(Image credit: Visual.ly)