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BFD Expert Voices - Media Deals

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Slate, a cloud-based content creation platform, has raised $5.5 million in seed funding, CEO Michael Horton exclusively tells Axios.

Why it matters: The round shows that investor money continues to flow into content creation as the landscape becomes fragmented and more complex. 

How it works: Slate's platform is available on both desktop and mobile and allows marketing teams to build and collaborate on content.

Slate has more than 200 clients, including teams in the NFL, NBA and MLB. Its fastest-growing segment outside of sports is media and entertainment, which includes Comedy Central and Showtime.

Its platform can create high-quality content in as little as 20 seconds. 

Details: Charge Ventures led Slate's seed round, and was joined by Interplay, Wise Ventures, TitletownTech and LAUNCH. 

The company has about 35 employees based across the U.S. and in 12 different countries. It's now focused on hiring and investing in product development. Horton says the company is not profitable. 

Catch up quick: Horton says the idea for Slate came in 2013 when he and Eric Stark, a co-founder who serves as president, worked in marketing for the San Francisco 49ers and saw potential in a tool that streamlined their jobs.

Brand social media became "no longer just about creating a Facebook post to try to drive traffic back to your website," Horton says. "It really was about trying to have an 'always on' presence across a lot of different social channels."

Horton later worked in product for several startups while Stark managed content strategy for the NFL. They teamed up with Will Brooke, who serves as COO, to launch Slate in 2019. 

The initial goal was to sign a few NFL teams that year, but by Super Bowl 2020, they already had managed to work with more than half of the teams, the league and some sports broadcasters, Horton says.

What's next: Horton says Slate is looking to add more clients in beauty, fashion and retail.

Exclusive: Content creation platform Slate raises $5.5M

Clients include teams in the NFL, NBA and MLB.

Illustration of a hand holding a cell phone displaying a $100 bill on the screen surrounded by social media icons.

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Slate, a cloud-based content creation platform, has raised $5.5 million in seed funding, CEO Michael Horton exclusively tells Axios.Why it matters: The round shows that investor money continues to flow into content creation as the landscape becomes fragmented and more complex.

Exclusive: Content creation platform Slate raises $5.5M

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