Angry Birds has indirectly benefited Kiosked, a platform for branding, ecommerce and loyalty rewards. The startup just raised $5.75 million led by Rovio chairman Kaj Hed, the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation (Tekes), and private investors. Hed will join Kiosked board of directors as chairman.
This is Hed’s first major investment since he acquired a majority interest in Angry Bird’s parent company Rovio.
The funding will be used to expand Kiosked’s manpower and international growth, said Kiosked CEO and founder Micke Paqvalén, starting with a New York office.
Kiosked platform is a step beyond tagging online images and content with hot spots. Its users start with tagging, but Kiosked tags introduce rich media popups that are an instant interface with ecommerce functions. They also can include links, video, photos and text, and they don’t remove consumers from whatever video, game or reading material they were engaged with.
Consumers can forward Kiosked content and get rewarded for any purchases made as a result of their sharing.
Retailers and marketers get a dashboard from which they can instantly update the popups as well as track all of the relevant activity.
“Disrupting and re-shaping any industry is always interesting,” Hed said. “Kiosked is the first to connect brands with their online business logic through their content and fans. It is going to create new paradigms that will change the way brands engage with consumers forever.”
Related links:
Kiosked – press release
Kiosked – official site
GigaOm – Hed start: Angry Birds backer puts $5.75m into Kiosked
Arctic Startup – Kaj Hed’s First Major Investment Outside Rovio Goes To Kiosked In A €4.5M Round
TechCrunch – Kiosked Nabs $5.75M From Rovio Chairman To Give Publishers An Alternative To Banner Ads
