Sweden-based Sesamy bags €3.3M to ‘de-wall and re-democratise’ access to premium content

|

|

Last update:

Stockholm-based Sesamy, a digital content platform, announced on Tuesday that it has raised an additional €3.3M in a Seed round of funding to accelerate its growth and further expand into digital news and magazine content. The company has now raised a total funding of €7.3M to date.

The round was led by GP Bullhound, with the support of Co_Made, Tham Invest and Brofunds. Existing investors Måns Ulvestam, Karl Rosander and Hållbar also participated in his round. 

Capital utilisation

Sesamy says it will focus on building its news vertical through partnerships with publishers to use their paywall technology and offer single purchases. In October 2022, Sesamy made its first foray into news by collaborating with top Swedish newspapers Breakit and Kvartal to integrate their technology. The company will keep up its current selection of podcasts, audiobooks, and ebooks on its website in both Sweden and Denmark.

Sesamy will also use the funds to provide a new tech-driven approach to monetising news and magazines, particularly through its groundbreaking technology SmartID.

What is SmartID?

While publishers have long sought to incorporate single purchases, they have been dependent on subscriptions to offset sharp declines in print circulation over the past 20 years. SmartID enables publishers to monetise non-subscribed readers without cannibalising their existing revenues from digital subscriptions.

Sesamy says it will make sure that its platform maintains a leading position in usability by improving its exclusive patented paywall technology.

Måns Ulvestam, CEO and co-founder of Sesamy, says, “Our goal is a simple yet comprehensive one: to bring back open to the internet. This is why our paywall technology is transparent and flexible for both digital content creators and consumers alike; giving consumers the option to make single purchases of articles while ensuring subscription revenues are not cannibalised.”

To further support its publisher partners, Sesamy’s software will also include built-in price optimisation that suggests a fair price to readers and publishers alike to maximise revenues through in-depth analytics.

“Escape the subscription trap. Pay only for the content you want.”

Founded in 2021 by Karl Rosander, Måns Ulvestam and Markus Ahlstrand, Sesamy ensures that premium digital content can be easily accessed, and owned, without the need for subscriptions.

Since its launch, the company has partnered with every major book publisher in Sweden and Denmark, to offer its users the option to purchase ebooks, audiobooks and podcasts as single purchases.

Through their single-purchase option for digital content, Sesamy aims to de-wall and re-democratise access to premium content so that users only pay for the content they want while still maximising publisher revenue.

Topics:

Follow us:

Vishal Singh

Vishal Singh is a News Reporter and Social Media Marketing Lead at Silicon Canals. He covers developments in the European startup ecosystem and oversees the publication's social media presence. Before joining Silicon Canals, Vishal gained experience at the Indian digital media outlet Inc42, contributing to its growth with insightful content. Despite being a college dropout, his passion for writing has driven his career in journalism.

Partner eventsMore events

Current Month

02apr(apr 2)8:00 am04(apr 4)6:00 am0100 Europe 2025

Share to...