London-based Blaize has developed a platform for the subscription economy, to turn one-time users into long term subscribers. The startup has now raised a €2.8 million seed round from the pan-European VC Nauta Capital.
The SaaS company enables businesses to design and roll-out highly personalized digital subscriptions. With Blaize, non-technical teams can utilize intuitive, code-free drag-and-drop functionality to test and deliver trial, sell and up-sell subscriptions in real-time.
Featuring IAM (identity and access management), a dynamic CDN (content delivery network) and a data-driven paywall, Blaize enables publishers and brands to quickly create digital subscription offerings at scale without technical infrastructure changes – resulting in double-digit percentage increases in monthly revenue and renewals.
The Blaize platform aims to power a shift toward subscription-based business models, predicted to impact 75% of businesses selling direct to consumers by 2023. The solution enables frictionless interactions for consumers who are increasingly demanding new ways in which they can customise relationships with brands to derive greater value.
“The the rapid growth of the subscription economy means companies across all industries must transition from static, ‘one-size fits all’ digital journeys to personalized unique experiences for every consumer,” said CEO James Henderson. “For media, this need is compounded by a massive decline in advertising revenue. Blaize makes it possible to address these challenges head-on at speed and at scale.”
While the Blaize solution is applicable to subscription businesses across a variety of sectors, the company has quickly established prominence in the $200 billion media and entertainment space, counting leading media brands including NewsCorp, Dennis Publishing, TheStreet, and DC Thomson as customers.
Carles Ferrer, Nauta Capital’s London-based General Partner will be joining Blaize’s board and will support the company’s growth plans.
“We believe Blaize is uniquely positioned to be the go-to solution for all subscription businesses; from the media and entertainment industry to e-commerce, finance and enterprise SaaS,” said Ferrer. “In less than a year – and without external funding – James and the team have built a highly reputable customer-base and achieved great commercial traction, so we are excited to join Blaize on this incredible journey.”
The investment will allow Blaize to double down the team to meet growing demand and expand their commercial offering across the pond.
“Partnering with Nauta on this investment round will enable us to scale our technology and commercial teams, increase our market share in the media sector, then move into new verticals,” said Henderson. “Nauta has a proven track record in backing and supporting highly successful B2B software businesses, so we’re delighted to be gaining access to their expertise and community.”
