Imagekind.com gets 2.6 million series A financing round; exec changes

Imagekind.com, the world's fastest growing online community for creating, selling and buying artwork, today announced it has closed $2.6 million in its series A round of financing. The company will use these funds to aggressively market the site and increase operations and staffing.

Holtzbrinck Ventures, one of Europe's leading Internet investors, led the round. Other investors include: Crosslink Capital, Erik Blachford, Tom Hughes, Samwer-Brothers and Nick Hanuaer.

Kelly Smith, CEO and one of Imagekind's founders said of the financing, "We never actively solicited investors but there was an unexpected level of interest in Imagekind. When we finally decided to raise external capital, we wanted to partner with funds and individuals that share our interest in international expansion and who bring a global perspective. Our roster of world class investors have had prior successes in related industries including imaging & printing, photobooks, manufacturing and world-class consumer e-commerce properties. This financing allows us to continue focusing on building the most unique online e-commerce platform that we expect to become a major player in this emerging $20 billion art marketplace."

In addition to the financing, ImageKind has announced that  Expedia's former CEO, Erik Blachford has joined Imagekind as an advisor, and Sven Achter of Holtzbrink Ventures joined Imagekind's Board of Directors.