The podcast halo is shining on the private podcast market. Storyboard, a company that works with employers looking to create internal podcasts, has raised $4.5 million in seed funding. Like public podcasting, Storyboard enables creators within a company – executives, managers, or employees – to record and launch on-demand audio content that can be accessed from anywhere and at any time. The company will use the new capital to accelerate its growth, develop its audio platform, and to continue building out its workforce. Since launching in November 2019, Storyboard says over 1,700 companies including Delta Air Lines, DHL, and HelloFresh have launched channels on Storyboard.
“Audio captures the voices, personalities and heart of a company,” said Storyboard founder JP Gooderham. It’s significantly easier to produce and far less taxing to consume than video, which makes it an effective way to keep employees engaged without requiring them to spend more time staring at their screens.”
The seed funding round was led by CRV, which is known for investing at the earliest stage of high-growth companies like Airtable, DoorDash, Twitter and Zendesk. The funding also includes participation from Harry Stebbings of 20MinuteVC, Operator Partners, Slack Fund, Dave Ambrose, and Matt Ziskie.
“As consumers, we’ve been immersed in the world of podcasts in our personal lives for years, but there hasn’t been a direct analog for enterprises to engage with audio, other than the old school conference call,” said CRV General Partner Anna Khan. “Podcasts provide a more intimate and effective way to communicate with a distributed workforce.”
Storyboard offers a free tier for up to 100 listeners; and a Pro suite for “enterprise audiences,” which includes listener analytics, audience feedback and additional tools for large teams.