UK-based Playe bags funds from Haymarket Ventures, others to launch and boost global expansion

London-based Playe, a content creation platform that connects innovative brands and agencies with creative talents, announced on Monday that it has raised fresh funding to grow internationally and speed up its product delivery. 

The funding came from Haymarket Ventures, Fuel Ventures and 1in100 Ventures. The funding amount remains undisclosed.

Mitch Brown, co-founder of Playe, says, “With this funding, we will be able to take our business to the next level and make a real impact in the creative industry.”

The company also announced its official launch in the UK, Europe, and Australia, thanks to this investment.

The Investor

Haymarket Ventures  backs early-stage companies prior to Series A funding rounds. It is interested in startups across the broad technology and media sectors, where it holds in-house expertise including martech, adtech, fintech and greentech among others.

Playe already counts Haymarket as its client. Haymarket’s largest UK division, Haymarket Business Media, has been using the platform in Germany and Singapore for brands such as Windpower Monthly and C&IT. The investment made today is part of a strategic collaboration in which Haymarket has agreed to provide funds over the next two years.

“Reimagine enterprise content creation”

Founded in 2021 by Jonas Espvall, Mitch Brown and Rob Older, Playe enables companies to collaborate with its global network of creatives to produce custom content wherever needed.

The company offers the necessary cloud-based tools for this ecosystem to interact. Because of this ‘unique’ infrastructure, it is able to do so without the usual financial and sustainability challenges associated with global content creation.

Espvall says, “We believe the future of creative work is the gig economy. But engaging these creatives can be challenging, particularly for larger organisations with global demands. There’s a gap in the market for technology to solve this, and that is what Playe has set out to do.”

“We support brand content teams with the capabilities to engage, manage and pay independent creatives worldwide,” adds Espvall.

Companies like McKinsey, Mr Yum, Bloomreach and Catawiki utilise Playe for the creation of specific outputs like video, graphic design and web development, as well as boosting internal teams with key skills needed on a project basis. 

According to Playe, more than 350 creatives are already using the platform to connect with the brands that need them. The company is based out of London, and has offices in Amsterdam and Sydney.