Irish model Emma-Jane Power has charged her business for growth by securing an investment of €500,000 (£417,000).
Online media hub PR Slides, a marketing tool for PRs providing images, is the recipient of the capital and has plans to hire 20 new staff in 2014 as well as open offices internationally. According to the start-up, 800 of its images are currently being used in press each month.
The Dublin-based business was set up by the Irish model, who has starred in TV advertisements for the likes of Coca Cola, in 2013 and has grown from one to seven staff in a year.
Power says, ‘This round of investment will help us expand our Irish employee base and bring PR Slides to an international level.
Enterprise Ireland, she adds, have been ‘extremely supportive’ of the business since its foundation.
PR Slides has grown its team significantly over the last year
Joining government agency Enterprise Ireland and venture capital firm Kernel Capital in the funding round are Niall Harbison (who now serves as CEO of PR Slides), Eamon Leonard, Johnny Walker and Julian Kulkarni.
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Harbison founded social media business Simply Zesty before selling it to UTV in 2012 while Walker set up, and then exited through a management buy-out, Global Diagnostics.
Harbison comments, ‘I invested in and joined PR Slides because I saw huge global potential for a truly disruptive platform that could change an entire industry.
‘I’ve been blown away by just how quickly people are adopting our technology and the blue chip clients we have been able to attract.’
Fellow angel Leonard serves as an advisor to start-ups as well as holding the position as VP of Developers³ at Engine Yard.
Kernel Capital partner Orla Rimmington cites clients such as Philips, Harvey Norman and Littlewoods Ireland as evidence of the significant traction PR Slides has achieved.
‘Their online portal has also attracted PR agencies themselves to use the service to increase broad media exposure for brands,’ Rimmington adds.
‘Kernel Capital is pleased to make this investment which will enable the company to further capitalise on this traction and will serve as a springboard to the next levels of sales and employment.’
