Agora Awards closes 2.2 million funding round

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Apr 25, 2022, 07:09 ET

Agora Awards is one of the world's leading digital art platforms and a meeting point of creators and art investors
The start-up has recently signed partnership agreements with blockchain platform Zilliqa, Ethereum software company ConsenSys, and QuiverTree Media

BARCELONA, Spain, April 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Agora, one of the world's leading and most far-reaching digital art platforms, has closed a financing round of more than 2 million euros led by international key investors in crypto-asset markets.

First launched in 2016, Agora Awards is rapidly becoming one of the most important online meeting points of artistic talent and art investors, where the best creations are voted worldwide. Started as an online platform where users could upload their creations – photographs, video, and audio – and participate in worldwide awards voted worldwide, Agora has recently launched a series of projects aimed to develop the NFT market with the best content of high artistic value.

As such and in the past months, Agora Awards has announced new partnerships with international companies such as Zilliqa, one of the world's most trusted blockchain platform, sponsoring the World NFT Festival developed by Agora, building the Agora Awards Metaverse and creating its token. Agora also partnered with ConsenSys, the leading Ethereum software company, to back the launch of Agora Award's own NFT marketplace. Agora Awards' best content will also be displayed in airplanes thanks to a new collaboration with QuiverTree Media, a company specialized in media services for the aviation industry.

The round has been supported by Chris Bouwer, an international investor with a strong track investing record, and a member of the founding team of Adyen, an e-commerce payment company that has achieved huge success. Bower has also participated in renowned international operations like Delivery Hero, Fanly, Airhelp or Pr.co among others.

Perfecting the digital art curation process

Agora Awards has created a curation process which selects and recognizes the best global talent in different creative categories including photography, digital art, music, films, illustration, among others. The company's recent arrival to the world of NFTs, has allowed for this talent and their global winning artworks to become high-value NFTs. Worldwide art collectors will have access to globally renowned digital works, making Agora Awards an ultra-curated market for new international art talent.

Agora's most recent NFT drop sold out with 21 photos raising over $80,000 on the Agora Awards NFT Marketplace platform. This NFT collection 'We, the Women' was launched in March and exposed physically at the Dubai Expo2020 and virtually at Metaverse.

"We have more than 14 million creations uploaded to the Agora Awards platform, including the works of over 13,000 finalists and winners of the awards. These are the only works that are made into NFT drops," explains Octavi Royo, CEO and founder of Agora Awards. According to him, this process will build up a collection which will be unique, beautiful and of long-lasting value. "An authentic jewel," he adds. Royo believes that the Agora Awards model is "global, digital, scalable, unlimited, and successful, as we have already shown in our launch drop. This revolution has just begun."

Today's new investment will support further development of its marketplace and other initiatives which aim to elevate the value given to NFTs not just as a financial investment detached of artistic merit, but as works of art whose value will grow over time, like fine art.

"Our mission is to empower talent and grant access to that talent to anyone anywhere in the world," says Octavi Royo, founder of Agora. "NFT marketplaces provide value to investors and an opportunity to established and up-and-coming artists to show their works and get the financial value they really have," he adds.

A growing start-up

Agora Awards is present worldwide, and its app has been downloaded by over 3.5 million people. The company is undergoing impressive growth and will be launching new and exciting initiatives including:

- The World NFT Festival

- Agora NFT Marketplace

- Agora's Metaverse

- Agora TV

- Agora Token

- Agora's new project with the United Nations

"Our vision of the future is to keep growing our community of artists, art lovers and investors and create a new vision for the future of art," says Octavi. A vision, he explains, that will further democratize the creative world. "Our awards are open to anyone, anywhere and our voting process ensures that the very best win getting a chance to sell their work through our and our partners' marketplaces," he adds.

About Agora:

Founded in 2016, Agora is a one of the world's leading and most far-reaching digital art platforms bringing together artists, collectors and patrons, experts, as well as everyday art lovers. Agora, which can be accessed through its app on iOS and Android, and through web, features millions of photographs, graphic designs, music, and videos developed by people from all around the world from renowned artists to regular individuals. This impressive digital art gallery is available to enjoy, but also to purchase making it one of the largest marketplaces for art NFTs in the world.

With 3.5 million users from over 190 countries, Agora was founded by Octavi Royo with the mission to empower talent from across the world and to democratize access to such talent and their creations through its app and the Agora Awards. The Agora Awards are open to content creators from around the world who can participate in different categories ranging from topics like love, water, or climate change. After a pre-selection from Agora experts, the shortlist is put to all users who vote the final winner ensuring that the best works get maximum exposure and, with it, a fair NFT valuation. Some of the awards have been included in international campaigns such as #TheWorldWeWant, launched by United Nations at the Agora Awards platform.

SOURCE Agora Awards