WYSPR raises £450k in pre-seed funding from Anglia Capital Group to develop its SaaS platform.
The pre-seed round was led by Patrick Smith through Anglia Capital Group to support platform development and team expansion.
WYSPR is an ad tech start-up offering a friendvertising and social data collection service that connects brands with everyday consumers. The platform enables people to monetise their influence and data while providing brands with authentic social media advocacy.
London based ad tech company WYSPR has secured £450k in a pre-seed funding round led by Patrick Smith through Anglia Capital Group. The company raised the capital to expand its team, develop its software as a service platform, and scale operations to meet rising market demand.
Additional backing in the round came from East of England Angels, Simon Bax, Trevor Wheatly-Perry, Barry Chevallier-Guild, Alan Gross, and the University of Essex. The business initially launched from university accommodation and has tested its crowd promotion model with brands such as Yo! Sushi and The Athenian.
The capital injection arrives as marketers seek alternatives to cookie tracking due to tightening data restrictions. WYSPR allows consumers to act as advocates on social media, generating higher engagement rates compared to traditional influencer campaigns.
From the founder
"We believe that brands and consumers are both better when they work together, WYSPR’s goal exists to connect them in a direct and genuine manner."
Oliver Bourne
Co-founder at WYSPR
Investor perspective
"I very much like the concept of Friendvertising which sits at the heart of WYSPR’s business, brining greater integrity to influence marketing. I am also impressed with the huge enthusiasm Eliot and Ollie bring to this project. They have already proven their idea works and I’m delighted to support them in their bid to build the business up to industrial scale."
Patrick Smith
Investor, Patrick Smith
Use of funds
- 01Grow the team
- 02Continue product development
- 03Accelerate go-to-market
Investors
Patrick Smith
Patrick Smith
Anglia Capital Group
Simon Bax
Trevor Wheatly-Perry
Barry Chevallier-Guild
Alan Gross
University of Essex