in Alberta, Angel Investors, Startups

EmpireAvenue raises seed funding from W Media Ventures

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.