Supercast, the Vancouver, B.C., startup that helps podcast creators make money off premium subscriptions, just brought in a little cash of its own.
The startup emerged from a beta testing period and raised a $2 million seed round to hire what it called a “world-class remote team.” The company has four positions listed on its careers website, including a CTO/tech lead.
Supercast just filled its top job, bringing in Jason Sew Hoy to be its new CEO. He came from 99designs, an Australian company that connects graphic designers with potential clients. He served as COO there, helping grow the company from 5 employees to 120.
It’s part of a growing number of companies seeking to help podcasters make money from subscriptions and memberships, including Seattle-based Glow, a Pioneer Square Labs spinout; podcast distribution platform Anchor.fm, which was acquired last year by Spotify; and Slate Group’s podcast monetization platform Supporting Cast.
Supercast allows customers to set up a variety of different premium options for podcast, including ad-free episodes and exclusive content for subscribers. The company says it has, over the last four months, delivered “seven-figures in revenue” to its customers and doubled the number of subscribers served.
“While podcasters like Tim Ferriss and Joe Rogan have grown such large audiences that advertisers flock to them, there are many others who educate, entertain and engage their fans purely out of passion and without much hope for profit,” Sew Hoy wrote in a Medium post.
Canadian venture firm Tiny Capital funded Supercast’s early operations. Investors in the seed round include Table Management; Form Capital; Christian Reber, founder of Wunderlist and Pitch; Des Traynor, co-founder of Intercom; and Steli Efti; founder of Close and co-host of The Startup Chat podcast.
Source: Geek Wire
