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Kinema Announces Launch After $2 Million Seed Funding Round

Martech Outlook | Monday, May 31, 2021

Kinema recently announced its launch, following a $2 million seed funding round led by Kindred Ventures, Lupa System, Galaxy Interactive, and I2BF Global Ventures.

FREMONT, CA: Kinema, a social cinema platform, has announced its launch, following a $2 million seed funding round led by Kindred Ventures, Lupa System, Galaxy Interactive, and I2BF Global Ventures. By facilitating a social and immersive cinema experience, the Kinema platform broadened the film marketing and distribution industry. Kinema creates a global network of screening hosts, filmmakers, and filmgoers to remove "theatre deserts" and increase access to the engaging film.

As the capability to obtain large public spaces has begun to decline over the last year, there has been an increase in demand for films, shows, and community connections. As the world gradually returns to normalcy, there will be a greater demand for the "new normal" to which people have grown accustomed: a vivid array of large, virtual, and small in-person gatherings to appreciate entertainment together. Kinema's objective is to provide filmmakers and communities with unique cinematic experiences tailored to communities worldwide. The team is dedicated to serving as a resource for filmmakers and distributors by introducing a new digital distribution method, marketing, and monetization.

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"At Kinema, we're enabling cinematic experiences that are impactful, thought-provoking, engaging and - most importantly - everywhere," said Christie Marchese, CEO and Founder at Kinema. "The pandemic taught us that the film-going experience can exist beyond the traditional movie theater. With Kinema we're enabling global storytellers to connect with local audiences and putting the power of curation directly in the hands of community leaders and influencers."

Kindred Ventures, Lupa Systems, and Galaxy Interactive are among Kinema's largest Series Seed investors. The organization was initially incubated within Human Ventures' startup studio and earned pre-seed funding.

"Historically, filmmakers and their audiences have been separated from each other due to traditional intermediaries and conventional industry dynamics. However, we've reached an intersection of streaming technology and live virtual experiences that allow for a direct, rich, and authentically new moviegoing experience. Compellingly, Kinema is today building the future of screening movies: secure high-quality streaming in a truly social and distributed way – driven by the filmmakers, curators, and their communities, versus a handful of gatekeepers," said Steve Jang, Founder and Managing Partner of Kindred Ventures. "We are thrilled to lead the seed financing for the Kinema team and help them explore this exciting digital transformation for filmmakers and moviegoers.

"It was an obvious choice for us to support this endeavor," said Heather Hartnett, CEO and General Partner, Human.vc. "This is an exciting project that is creating an engaging experience for viewers and sharing inspiring stories of incredible filmmakers."

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