ShinyAds raises seed funding for self-serve ad platform

Toronto startup Shiny Ads is announcing a round of seed funding this afternoon to help build its self-serve advertising platform for publishers. The $500,000 round of funding was led by Toronto’s largest Angel network, Maple Leaf Angels and York Angels, with contributions from individuals in the digital media industry. The company launched in 2009 and was privately funded until now. “Passion is everything in a startup environment. If  you truly believe in your product and execute like your life depends on it, then success will follow,” says founder Roy Pereira about the funding announcement.

Prior to the investment Roy had started to build the team, bringing on Zunaid Khan as VP of Business Development and Sales. Khan’s previous roles include Canoe/Sun Media as Director of Product Management and Strategic Alliances and Director of Technology Sales at 24/7 Real Media. James Prudhomme, one of Canada’s leading Digital Media executives, is joining the Board of Directors, along with Scott MacCannell, founding President of York Angels, and Robert Koturbash who is the founding Managing Director of the Maple Leaf Angels. “Shiny Ads is a disruptive technology that allows content publishers to directly interact with their small and local advertisers in an extremely cost effective manner – it allows them to once again own those critical relationships at the same time as generating revenue that was once lost to them,” said Koturbash in a press release announcing the funding. “York Angels is very pleased to be involved as a partner with Roy Pereira and the great team of professionals that he has assembled at Shiny Ads to address this promising market opportunity. We very much look forward to working with Roy and his team, the Maple Leaf Angels and the other independent investors that are involved in this exciting venture,” said Scott MacCannell.

More about Shiny Ads: Shiny Ads is an advertising technology company focused on enabling online publishers to maximize revenue from small and local advertisers. Their self-serve advertising platform allows publishers to automate the sales, finance and ad-operations for small ad campaigns in a cost-effective manner. Small and local advertisers are able to quickly and easily purchase advertising without the need of industry knowledge, graphic designers, or a large budget enabling the online publishers to access this untapped revenue stream.