London startup Flourish closes $1m Seed from LocalGlobe and Founder Collective

London-based data visualisation platform Flourish has raised $1m in Seed funding from Robin and Saul Klein’s LocalGlobe and Founder Collective.

Co-founded by data journalist Duncan Clark and computer scientist and mathematician Robin Houston, Flourish participated in the Founders Factory accelerator, which runs a media programme in partnership with Guardian News & Media.

Clark, also the CEO, commented on the news, adding that organisations are having to deal with increasing amounts of data.

“The answer is not to create ever more reports and dashboard full of commodity charts, but to really understand what the data is telling you and then to articulate that story to others in a clear, beautiful and engaging way. In this sense companies and governments have a lot to learn from journalism, where Flourish has its roots,” he said.

Flourish now says it is being used by the likes of Google, Fannie Mae, the BBC and JLL.

Saul Klein, general partner at LocalGlobe, commented on his firm’s participation in the round.

“The need to understand data and communicate it effectively is getting greater by the day,” said the investor, highlighting he thought both entreprenurs had so far helped organisations solve these problems in a way “that is not just beautiful and interactive but most importantly allows them to tell a story”.

“We think the power and simplicity of Flourish has huge potential and we’re thrilled to lead their seed round alongside our good friends at Founder Collective,” concluded Klein.