Denver CO-based virtual content creation startup soona, aiming to satisfy the growing content needs of the e-commerce ecosystem, raised $35 million in Series B funding on January 25, 2022. The company intends to use the funds to accelerate growth and expand its business reach.
Bain Capital Ventures led the round with participation from Union Square Ventures, Matchstick Ventures, Starting Line Ventures, 2048 Ventures, and Range Ventures.
After the pandemic outbreak, soona shifted to an entirely virtual model. The startup’s model focused on staging shoots that can deliver videos and photos in 24 hours or less. It has three hubs in Austin, Denver, and Minneapolis.
To get the shoot completed, customers ship their products to Soona, watch the shoot remotely, offer immediate feedback, and only pay for the photos and video clips they want. In some cases, the studio isn’t necessary, and 30 percent of Soona’s photographers and crew members work from home.
The company boasts of having more than 8,000 customers
Founded in 2019 by Liz Giorgi and Hayley Anderson, soona provides a content creation platform for brands to take professional-quality photos and videos.
Brands can select everything from the background color to props to models, stylists or pets from its pro services network. The company has over 8,000 brand customers, including Lola Tampons, The Sill, and Wild Earth, and grew more than 300 percent in 2021 and 400 percent in 2020.
Clients ship their products and join their shoot online in real-time via a virtual photo shoot. Brands can organize content within the platform, revisit previous shoots, and shop their past shoots for more content at any time.
With the company’s Shopify app, brands can then swap content into their store and product listing pages in just one click.
World’s first virtual content creation platform for e-commerce
Online shopping grew 17 percent in 2021 and is expected to accelerate. soona’s world’s first virtual content creation platform for e-commerce helps businesses meet the growing demand for quality visuals by upending the traditional content creation model.
“There is not a single transaction that happens on the internet that does not involve a visual asset,” said Liz Giorgi, co-founder and CEO of soona.
“Content is the difference between making a sale and not, which is why soona is so beloved by our clients. soona levels the playing field so every merchant can achieve their sales potential,” added Giorgi.
The platform approach of providing everything a brand needs to plan a photoshoot, experience the photoshoot and get their content entirely online has stood out.
One such example is soona’s pro services marketplace, which connects brands with models and stylists, and saw a 500 percent increase in activity in 2021.
