Launched in September 2021, LaCollection is making big waves in the art NFT space and has just picked up an additional €8.78 million. The new funding as led by Alven, with participation from Aglaé Ventures, Frédéric Jousset, Guillaume Houzé, Cygni Capital, Kima Ventures and Premier Janvier Capital, joining existing investors Nicolas Julia (co-founder and CEO of Sorare) and Thomas France (co-founder of Ledger).
Paris-based LaCollection is creating a new way of owning digital versions of a physical artwork by working with cultural institutions. Like a limited edition “digital lithography”, collectors are now able to own certified digital twins of masterpieces from the world’s greatest museums, galleries and artists.
LaCollection co-founder and CEO Jean-Sebastien Beaucamps: “Our ambition is to be the leading platform for new communities of collectors passionate about art, culture and NFTs. The combined expertise of our investors across the art and technology space puts us in a great position to accelerate our partnerships with cultural institutions, sustain our growth rate and scale our unique business model”.
LaCollection also entered into an exclusive agreement with The British Museum and has achieved a 7 digits revenue in 4 months with an NFT sale dedicated to the work of Japanese painter Katsushika Hokusai.
To start a collection on LaCollection, users can sign up for an account in seconds, and begin purchasing non-fungible token (NFT) of paintings by Hokusai, Turner and more, using a simple credit card. Each NFT is unique, scarce, and its ownership is publicly verifiable via the Ethereum blockchain. It is a secure and transparent model of digital ownership.
NFT is the hot-topic of moment, and while some of the trends in this space can seem a little off-beat, LaCollection is certainly brining a touch of culture and sophistication to the sector. Further, the art NFT space has seen spectacular growth in the last few months, and it looks like its going to keep going with interest in the sector continuing to pick up. LaCollection has rapidly stood out by providing a unique highly tailored model away from traditional marketplaces, amidst the general lack of curation in this brand new space.
Frédéric Jousset, Artnova, commented: “We at Artnova are empowering cultural players with the means to grow, transform and reach the widest audience, fostering all forms of innovation. We see in LaCollection not just another NFT marketplace, but a never-seen approach to collecting art, letting new breeds of art enthusiasts build, curate, and trade digital collections made from the world’s most prominent museums and galleries. “
Further, LaCollection is committed to an ambitious social and climate positive plan roadmap – keeping sustainability as a central part of operations. To this end, alongside this funding announcement, the startup has announced a 60-year nature-based climate-positive plan with European green tech EcoTree.green.
The funds will be used to further develop the platform, secure partnerships with more museums and artists, and keep growing a global team across Europe, Asia and the US,.
Guillaume Houzé, Founder at Motier Ventures, added: “As both an art collector and tech investor, the times we live in are particularly exciting. Using cutting-edge technology to revive the heritage of museums and help them reach an ever-growing audience, is a profound and meaningful mission. Supporting La Collection at this stage of their development is exciting. I am convinced that NFTs, beyond the ongoing craze, will last as sustainable cultural artefacts.”
