Whatever the state of consumer confidence in Europe, venture capital investors are betting the people will keep shopping, with three e-commerce start-ups receiving new funding in February. The investment thesis appears to be that you can never have too many shoes, baby items or eco-friendly hammocks.
Videoplaza, the London-based company that manages online video ads for media companies, raised $12m in a series B funding round from Qualcomm Ventures and Innovacom.
Stylistpick.com, a subscription-based online fashion service, raised $11m in a series B funding round from Fidelity Growth Partners Europe, and existing investors Accel Partners and Index Ventures. The London-based company offers members suggestions on shoes, bags and accessories from celebrity stylists, and has gained around 600,000 members since it was founded a year ago.
GoCardless, a London-based company that provides a online payments processing platform, has raised $1.5m from Accel Partners, Passion Capital, SV Angel, Start Fund, and Y Combinator. The money will go towards expanding the company, which allows retailers to bypass the expensive credit card network for taking payments.
Ovelin, the Finnish company that developed the WildChords guitar-teaching game for the iPad, has raised $1.4m in funding in a round led by True Ventures. Ovelin, which has seen more than 100,000 downloads for the iPad game, is planning to use the money to take the game onto other platforms.
Ethical Community, an online marketplace for eco-friendly goods, secured a £200,000 in seed funding from a syndicate of angel investors. The new investors include Mary Turner, the chief executive of AlertMe.com, Giuliano Stiglitz, chief executive of Orange Advertising Networks, Robert Barnes, founding partner at Alchemy Partners, and Kelvin Au, a venture investor. Often called the “Etsy for eco”, the company, which was founded in 2009, sells eco-friendly, organic and naturals clothes, jewelry, food and beauty products.
Windeln.de, a Germany website selling baby products, has raised a undisclosed amount in a series B funding round from its existing investors Acton Capital Partner, DN Capital and High-Tech Gründerfonds.
FTAPI, the Munich-based company that provides secure transfer and storage of files for business customers, raised a “high six-figure” sum from High-Tech Gründerfonds, Bayern Kapital and Gebrüder Mende.
