Digital publisher Open Air Publishing has closed an $800,000 seed round of financing, including investments from SV Angel, Charles River Ventures, and 500 Startups. The New York City-based startup builds interactive how-to books made for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch, each featuring video, slideshows, and other highly tappable content.
Since its launch in May 2011, the company has released four fully digital books for iPad. The funding announcement coincides with the release of all four titles for the iPhone: Master Your DSLR Camera, Speakeasy Cocktails, The Better Bacon Book, and Holiday Recipes & Party Planning Guide by FOOD52. All have cracked the U.S. top 100 overall rankings on the App Store.
Investors participating in this seed round are: SV Angel, Charles River Ventures, 500 Startups, The Social+Capital Partnership, Richmond Park Partners, David Tisch (BoxGroup), Advancit Capital, DEV (Digital Entertainment Ventures), Graph Ventures, Red Swan, Lars Albright, Sam Stahl, and Josh Mohrer.
“The iOS platform invites a reinvention of the e-book, and Open Air Publishing is building tools and processes to define the publishing/studio hybrid model needed to make true e-book content,” said Jon Feldman, Founder & CEO of Open Air Publishing. “We’re excited to have this great group of investors and advisors on board as we hit our next phase of growth. We’ve doubled the team to six and plan to have nine new titles out by the end of this year.”
“Our transition into the iPhone market gives us access to a market that is four times the size of the iPad’s,” Feldman said. “This launch will allow us to expand our reach to a larger and more diverse set of readers.”
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Fusion Corporate Partners 