Accord to Videoink, Blend Media has announced Seed funding with investors led by renowned media industry executives including the co-founder and CEO of The LADBible Group, the co-founder and former President of Maker Studios and senior management executives from ITN Productions, Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) and Bell Pottinger.

'With considerable appetite for VR and 360 content from advertisers and consumers, it's exciting to see a new market emerge,' said co-founder and CEO of The LADbible Group, Solly Solomou. 'Damian's track record in developing digital media businesses with a focus on content licensing makes this an ideal opportunity. We're all looking forward to working closely with the team, and will make further investments in innovative companies like this.'

Co-founded by Chris Helm, a rights management expert and former Finance Director of Sony Music and EMI Music Publishing, Blend Media was created to be a complete immersive content solution for brands, agencies and publishers seeking to capitalize on the 360 Video/VR digital media format. The business seeks to reduce the time, costs and risk involved in creating and licensing premium quality immersive content. Blend Media also provides revenue and networking tools for creators of 360 Video/VR content around the world. Founded in early 2016, the company has already supplied immersive content, creators and/or consultancy to Google, YouTube, Orange Mobile, Lonely Planet, Framestore, McCann Erickson and Chick-fil-A, amongst other well-known brands.

'Until now there has been no organized marketplace for brands, agencies, studios and publishers who are looking to license and re-purpose premium quality 360 video or Virtual Reality content, or seeking creators who are skilled in the complex production and post-production techniques to create new productions,' said Damian Collier, CEO Blend Media and founder of viral video management consultancy Viral Spiral. 'We're launching Blend Media at a time when immersive content has moved into the mainstream following its implementation by the key social networks. Having built a cutting edge tech platform, with a range of social 360 /VR ad products also in development, and the world's largest network of expert immersive content creators signed up, Blend is set for an exciting 2017.'

Blend Media's Facebook page, operated under the sub-brand 360Vidz, has already gained over 600,000 followers, and is responsible for the management of the world's most viewed 360 video of all timeŠ -- Ša time lapse video of the Northern Lights over Alaska which has been viewed over 35 million times on Facebook alone.