AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cinegif, an Austin, Texas-based technology company specializing in GIF marketing solutions, today announced that it has received $500,000 in funding from Texas angel investors. Investors include the Baylor Angel Network, as well as the Houston Angel Network and its related Halo Fund. The funding will be used to accelerate sales and marketing efforts for its cloud-based GIF marketing platform specifically designed for marketers, advertisers, and agencies.
“The Texas Halo Fund supports Texas-based angel investor groups by co-investing in their best deals,” said Andrew Clark, board member and foundation investor of the Texas Halo Fund. “Cinegif is an exemplary investment, supported by several of Texas’s best angel groups. It is a tribute to the strength of Cinegif’s solution and business strategy that so many angels across the state have come together to make this deal successful.”
Led by CEO Graham McFarland, who was previously founder and CEO of software and web services companies ExpressDigital and PhotoReflect, Cinegif’s GIF marketing platform enables marketers and advertisers to integrate high-quality animated GIFs into their digital strategy. The company’s DIY Platform makes it easy to create rich media composed of multiple gifs, stills, and hyperlinks. Cinegif also provides real-time analytics and content optimization.
By using a simple embed code generated by the GIF Marketing Cloud, marketers and advertisers are able to enhance their digital content on websites, email campaigns, landing pages, ecommerce displays, and advertising. Cinegif’s new rich media, unlike Flash, features content optimization that ensures compatibility across all digital channels and devices with no plug-ins required.
The company has been gaining traction in partnerships as well as funding, having recently teamed up with digital marketing company Pulsepoint, as well as video management and licensing company T3Media. T3Media partnered with Cinegif to create the industry’s first animated GIF stock image library. Cinegif’s partners also include HP, which featured Cinegif’s technology at tradeshow and festival booths this fall.
“Today’s average online attention span is only 10 seconds, and getting noticed is becoming increasingly important,” said McFarland. “Animated GIFs add motion to messages and are as engaging as a video but as simple to use as a still image, making them the perfect medium for digital marketing.” McFarland added that increased audience engagement leads to more clicks, generating a higher return on investment.
About Cinegif
Cinegif is an Austin, Texas-based technology company whose GIF Marketing Platform enables marketers and advertisers to integrate high quality animated GIFs into their digital strategy. Cinegif’s DIY Platform makes it easy to create a new and improved form of rich media, the FIG, composed of multiple GIFs, stills, and hyperlinks. Cinegif also provides real-time analytics and content optimization that ensures compatibility across all digital channels and devices.
