Havas Funds Influencer Marketplace Octoly

Influencer marketplace Octoly has raised $10m in a Series A round of funding, from marcoms giant Havas Group, venture capital firm Otium Venture, marketing business Twin Partners, and the EU's SME Instrument programme.

Led by CEO Thomas Owadenko (pictured), Paris and New York-based Octoly offers a platform which connects more than one billion collective subscribers, based across five countries, with relevant brands. Influencers can browse a curated selection of full-size products free of charge, and in return create original content and publish reviews for their followers on Instagram or YouTube without receiving any monetary compensation. The firm has also launched a new web site called OctoPrime, where each influencer will be able to build their own online shop and share the products featured on their YouTube and Instagram accounts directly with their followers.

In 2015, Octoly raised $1.2m in a seed round. Commenting on the latest funding, Havas Group CEO Yannick Bolloré said: 'We strongly believe that the value of Octoly is in its capacity to deliver unbiased reviews for brands. Authenticity is the cornerstone of influencer marketing which is now a billion-dollar industry. Their unique vision to incite passion and build a unique eco-system between brands, influencers and their fans convinced us to make this investment'.

Web site: www.octoly.com .