EmpireAvenue, the world’s first influence stock market, where you can buy and sell virtual shares in your friends and brands has raised it’s first round of seed financing from W Media Ventures. Something hinted at in yesterday’s City of Champions round up.
The Edmonton based startup, founded by former BioWare, Electronic Arts, and MySQL employees, has in a matter of months developed a robust social trading platform and attracted over 15,000 users. The new capital will allow the company to continue development and launch Avenue Rewards, a platform that connects brands with influential individuals. A similar business model is being pursued by Klout, a competitor in the influence market.
As part of the financing, Boris Wertz of W Media Ventures will be joining EmpireAvenue’s board. Boris is easily one of the most active early stage consumer internet investors in Western Canada, with a portfolio that includes: Tynt, Suite101, Indochino, Yapta, and many more. He brings an incredible depth of experience to the venture; EmpireAvenue’s stock is rising in a major way.