Chute Adds $7 Million In Funding, Aids Brands With Online Ad Marketing

Chute, a social photo aggregation service, just closed a $7 million Series A equity round led by Foundry Group, along with existing investors Freestyle Capital and U.S. Venture Partners.

Chute helps brands, publishers and developers snatch photos from social networks, then feature them in Web sites and mobile apps.

In the words of Ryan McIntyre, Foundry’s managing director, Chute makes “‘magic infrastructure’ for developers that makes it simple for them to deploy complex yet elegant functionality at scale.”

Also this week, Chute is rolling out its Chute Ads service, which will allow brands to insert real-time visual content into ad units. Condé Nast Traveler has signed on as Chute Ads’ official launch partner and is incorporating the service into CNTraveler.com.

Craig Kostelic, digital advertising director and global head of digital sales at the Condé Nast Travel Network, said the service has the potential to shake up online advertising.   

“Real-time content means audiences will never see the same ad twice,” Kostelic said.

Put another way, Chute Ads will allow Condé Nast Traveler to meld its paid, owned, and earned media efforts, Kostelic added.

Launched just last year, Chute’s client roster already includes NBC News, Turner, the NBA and Saks Fifth Avenue, and Condé Nast.

The new funds will be used to expand product offerings, and scale operations, according to Ranvir Gujral, co-founder of Chute.

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