Topia, the leading browser-based social platform with spatial video chat inside fully customizable virtual worlds, today announced the close of a $5 million seed funding round led by Alex Ohanian’s Seven Seven Six with additional participation from Bonfire Ventures. Topia has generated rapid and significant growth as the newest way to engage communities online with better human connection since its launch in May 2020, including hosting over 25,000 people for Virtual Burning Man in August 2020, which they will host again in 2021. Seed funding will be dedicated to building out a diverse, mission-driven team and investing in Topia’s creator economy.
In addition to the strategic funding, Topia has also announced the launch of its new creator ecosystem. World owners can now earn commissions whenever visitors to their worlds spend money in Topia, including subscriptions and marketplace purchases. Topia’s new creator marketplace allows artists and experienced designers to create scenes or entire customizable worlds and offer them for sale, making it easy for anyone to develop tailored experiences. The marketplace is launching with a collection of scenes designed by notable artists, including former Riot Games and Magic Leap Art Director Daren Bader, Void Bastards Creator Ben Lee, and Ubisoft Senior Environment Designer Karen Stanley.
“We couldn’t be more excited to be working alongside Alexis and the Seven Seven Six team. Their commitment to community and accessibility on the internet aligns perfectly with ours,” said Topia CEO and Founder, Daniel Liebeskind. “We started as a fun way to get together online, but Topia is evolving into a new kind of social platform – one that empowers creators and fosters real human connection. Our vision is to become the next evolution of social experiences online.”
“Topia not only gives users the keys to the kingdom, once inside the walls it invites them to create, innovate and engage like never before,” said Alexis Ohanian, Founder of Seven Seven Six. “As the next generation of social platforms emerges, I’m encouraged that we have pioneers like Daniel leading the charge, someone who has purposefully built an online community fostering creativity and meaningful, real-time interactions.”
“We are thrilled to support Daniel’s incredible vision,” said Jennifer Richard of Bonfire. “We strongly believe that Topia’s personalized metaverse will fuel all types of immersive communities who can now interact naturally in moments of serendipity.”
Since launching in May of 2020, Topia has grown to see over 1,000 user-hosted events every month. The free-to-use platform has attracted a diverse range of users from families, students, and schools, to music and arts festivals and Fortune 500 companies. Large companies and confluencers have taken advantage of the platform’s adaptability to build out branded Topia worlds for their employees and fans to foster creativity and collaboration.
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