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Follow UsSAN FRANCISCO, US: A syndicate of Silicon Valley technology and New York media investors bandied together last week to back Alameda, California-based Vook.
The company, which derives its name from a mashing of video and book, blends videos and still images with text to create multimedia books for the iPhone and other devices, including the soon-to-be-released iPad.
Since its formal launch in the fall of 2009, Vook has made publishing relationships with Simon & Schuster, HarperStudio and Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. and is hoping to soon announce Vook titles with Seth Godin, Anne Rice and other authors.
"Vook has an opportunity to become synonymous with a new form of media, which is something that doesn't happen very often," said noted angel investor Ron Conway, who's also an advisor to the company.
The company raised $2.5 million in a seed-stage round from Conway, Kenneth Lerer, chairman of the Huffington Post and early stage investment firms Maples Investments, Baseline Ventures and Founder Collective. The company plans to use the funding to accelerate growth in all areas of its business and to support its plans for massive scale in 2010.
"We believe we're bringing Vook to market at the exact right time to help transform an industry, drive creativity and create a whole new media experience for consumers," said Brad Inman, founder and CEO of Vook, in a prepared release.