The Public House of Art, a Dutch startup aiming to disrupt art galleries, landed €1.5 million funding from Q2Q Capital. The platform strives to make art affordable, accessible to the point of less snobbish, and most importantly, fun. The Amsterdam-based company was founded by Sid Sand (CEO) and Maarten Bitter (CMO), formerly CMO at TravelBird.
Shake up art industry
PHOA wants to use the funding to accelerate and expand internationally. The company boasts to have sold more than 3,000 works of art in the past 18 months. Sid Sand. “We will continue our mission to shake up the current art industry and to make art accessible and affordable to everyone.”
Not a f*cking gallery
The Public House of Art goes by the motto: “we are not a f*cking gallery!” They believe that art should be accessible and affordable for all. One of the top creative agencies of Amsterdam, KesselsKramer, has helped PHOA by creating a concept “where everyone feels welcome”. The startup collaborates with international artists to curate bi-annual, thematic exhibitions, thus eliminating “the snobbish, academic barrier that often surrounds art”. The Public House of Art offers artwork in four sizes (House, Villa, Mansion and Castle), with prices ranging from €100 to € 2,000.
First investment for Q2Q
According to Crunchbase, this is the first investment for Q2Q Capital, a London- and Dubai-based fund with Muhammed Yesilhark as founder and chief investment officer. He previously served in various venture capital and private equity roles.
We have seen similar startups aiming to disrupt the art industry and galleries, most notably first mover Werk aan de Muur, AccessArt, and Gallerease. With PHOA, they now have a heavily funded competitor to keep their eyes on.
About Q2Q Capital
Q2Q Capital infuses capital with purpose. It is a boutique investment partnership that seeks to identify superior public and private equity opportunities, with a focus to becoming long-term value added partners to its investments.
With offices in London and Dubai, Q2Q Capital’s brand represents an honest and transparent relationship between the managers and providers of capital. It also encompasses a holistic investment philosophy which gives equal consideration to both qualitative and quantitative factors, enhanced by cutting edge technology.
Q2Q Capital’s network of partners are active in developed as well as selected emerging markets. Its geographical areas of focus are North America and the EMEA region.
01
From port to startup fort: How Lars Crama is ‘Making it Happen’ in Rotterdam