London-based ad-tech firm wayve has secured a £300,000 seed investment from Mercia Fund Management’s hybrid SEIS & EIS fund.
Founded by computer science and digital marketing specialist Jamie Evans-Parker wayve works across all advertising channels including mobile, desktop and digital outdoor.
The business is supported by ad tech heavyweights including James Booth, CEO of Scoota and the founder of Tangozebra – which was sold to DoubleClick/Google – and Stuart Colman, international VP at AudienceScience and founder of Colman Media and former COO of Switch Concepts.
Evans-Parker, founder and CEO of wayve, said: “Mercia’s investment provides us with the opportunity to accelerate our go-to-market strategy and build our team, as the company begins to scale and branch out into the international market.
“We believe that wayve has the potential to streamline 360° advertising for creative agencies, publishers and media agencies in a way that is cost-effective, digitally enhanced and measurable in real-time.”
The platform is already in use by a number of leading global brands including The Financial Times, Bloomberg, Business Insider and News UK.
Joshua Levy, Investment Manager at Mercia Fund Management, commented: “I have been extremely impressed by the services offered by wayve and I am excited to see how the company will progress following Mercia’s initial seed investment.
“wayve has already proved the importance of its service offering through its impressive client roster, I am confident that this client base will increase as brands continue to look for an efficient way of enhancing their assets and engaging with their audience.”