AXA PRESS RELEASE (FRENCH VERSION HERE)
Paris, October 13th, 2015
AXA Strategic Ventures invests € 500,000 in Art2M, an art and connected objects platform for collectors and investors
AXA Strategic Ventures invests in Art2M, a start-up specialized in mediating between investors passionate about digital art and innovative artists who produce connected objects. The total investment of 500,000€ will allow Art2M to intensify its R&D efforts and establish itself overseas, particularly in the United States and China.
This investment will provide AXA ART with a global watch service on connected objects, while harmoniously integrating its ecosystem.
Founded and managed by Anne-Cécile Worms, Art2M produces and develops prototypes and connected objects, identified and designed thanks to its active watch over a network of almost 600 labs worldwide. The company remains on the cutting-edge of digital fabrication through its specialized media: Makery.info. It also lends its knowledge and network of experts to corporations by providing workshops, rapid prototyping and temporary on-site labs.
Art2M coproduces digital artworks, connected objects and innovative materials. Among its exclusive coproductions is Water Light Graffiti, a LED surface that lights up in contact with water, which has already been patented and continues to enjoy commercial success around the world. In addition, Art2M opens its artwork catalogue to collectors through an online platform dedicated to the sale of contemporary, modern and digital art.
In 2014, online art sales reached € 3.3 billion, accounting for 6% of the total value of art market sales.* Furthermore, according to the Worldwide Collectors Survey carried out by AXA ART in 2014, 14% of those surveyed collect artworks linked to new media in the category of “installations & videos”. This platform will allow emerging artists who are currently underrepresented on the art market to become accessible via online sales. It will be launched during the annual exhibition-sale organized by Art2M, entitled “Variation – Media Art Fair”, to be held on October 19-25 at La Halle des Blancs-Manteaux in Paris, simultaneously with the International Contemporary Art Fair (FIAC).
Anne-Cécile Worms, CEO of Art2M: “This investment will allow Art2M to develop its portfolio of exclusive coproductions (connected objects and innovative design) and to position our new “ArtJaws” selling platform, dedicated to artworks and artists’ limited editions, as a major player on the online art market.”
Minh Q. Tran, General manager of AXA Strategic Ventures: “The Internet of Things is one of the five sectors in which we intend to invest. Art2M’s approach perfectly meets our needs, as it provides a global watch service on connected objects, while harmoniously integrating the ecosystem of AXA ART, a subsidiary of AXA, on the contemporary art market and in the field of digital art.”
(* Source: TEFAF Art Market Report 2015)
About AXA Strategic Ventures:
Launched in February 2015, AXA Strategic Ventures is a €200 million venture capital fund dedicated to emerging strategic innovations in financial services. AXA Strategic Ventures invests in start-ups via seed funding and also provides venture capital for more established companies. The fund currently has seven offices: San Francisco, New York, London, Paris, Zurich, Berlin and Hong Kong.
Read more about AXA Strategic Ventures at www.axastrategicventures.com.
Find video interviews, biographies, FAQs and media coverage in the AXA US Newsroom on www.axa.com
About Art2M:
Art2M is a young innovative enterprise (J.E.I) specialized in producing exclusive or custom digital artworks and innovative design. Digital culture is at the heart of its process, in order to offer its clients (marketing agencies, institutions, corporations and private organizations) innovative branding and evermore connected events. For more information: www.art2m.com, www.makery.info, www.artjaws.com,
Art2M media contact : Ada Fizir, +33 (0) 1 58 28 92 39
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