August 5, 2021

To continue enabling a vibrant future for digital creativity, San Francisco-based NFT platform MakersPlace has raised $30 million in a Series A round led by Bessemer Venture Partners and Pantera Capital. The funding round includes investors such as Sony Music Entertainment, Eminem and former Def Jam CEO Paul Rosenberg.

MakersPlace was launched in 2018 and the company has reported that the number of collectors using MakersPlace’s platform has already grown over 10x in 2021, and has facilitated over $100m in transactions this year.

In a company blog post announcing the fundraise, MakersPlace reiterate its mission to empower thousands of digital artists by offering a platform to protect and sell their digital artwork and other creations. They have catapult digital art and NFTs onto the global stage, with their partnership with Beeple and Christie’s, facilitating the $69.3M sale of Beeple’s EVERYDAYS: THE FIRST 5000 DAYS— the largest ever sale of digital artwork.

This funding was led by Bessemer Venture Partners and Pantera Captial, with participation from Uncork Capital, Draper Dragon Digital Assets, 9Yards Capital, Coinbase Ventures and Sony Music Entertainment. The funding also includes the following strategic investors: Acquavella Galleries, Sabrina Hahn and Bill Ruprecht in the arts; Eminem, Paul Rosenberg, 3LAU in music, Larry Fitzgerald and Shari Glazer in sports; Eric Baker, Julia and Kevin Hartz, Vinny Lingham and Tobias Lütke in tech, and many more. Every investor brings their expertise and perspective across technology, blockchain, art and media.

Sony Music didn’t disclose the dimensions of their funding in MakersPlace.