Creative Market Raises $7 Million Series A Financing Round to Spin Out from Autodesk

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 11, 2017 -- Creative Market, an online marketplace for ready-to-use design assets from independent creators around the world, has just announced a $7M series A financing round in new capital led by Accomplice, with participation from Palm Drive Capital, and angels Patrick Lor, Don Parker and Gabriel Hammond. The financing completes their spin out from Autodesk, and paves a new path for accelerated growth as an independent startup again, three years after their initial acquisition in 2014. Autodesk will retain a minority stake in the newly formed company.

Launched in 2012, Creative Market has quickly grown to more than 22,000 independent creators selling 1.5 million pre-made digital assets to a community of 3.5 million members, helping them complete creative projects ranging from custom wedding invitations to national marketing campaigns. Today, more than half of all Fortune 500 companies utilize the platform to speed up their design workflows and power their brands. The company will use the fresh funding to further invest in the growth of the marketplace, hire to expand the team and launch new products that enhance the way customers use Creative Market to bring their creative projects to life. “Creative Market has grown at a rapid pace year over year and has along the way cemented itself as the go-to resource for independent creators as well as Fortune 500 companies,” shared Dustin Dolginow, Venture Partner at Accomplice. “We see a massive opportunity for Aaron and his team to become the world’s marketplace for design.”

For creators looking to sell their original fonts, graphics, photos and other design assets online, Creative Market gives them a platform to make a living doing what they love, no matter where they live. Just last year, Cape Town-based designer Nicky Laatz surpassed $1 million USD in earnings — a milestone that is even more meaningful when converted to South African Rands, where a dollar goes a lot further. Nicky is just one example among many, with 77 percent of all earnings on Creative Market paid to creators outside the United States.

According to Aaron Epstein, Creative Market co-founder and CEO, the platform’s success is connected to a larger industry shift:

“The future of work is moving beyond the borders of the traditional 9-5 office job. With just an internet connection and their design talent, more and more independent creators are using Creative Market to venture out on their own and earn a living from anywhere in the world.”

Epstein, along with co-founder Chris Williams and the rest of the Creative Market leadership team will continue to lead the business toward their vision of building the world’s marketplace for design. The company is currently hiring product, engineering and design roles in their San Francisco office. For more information, please visit: creativemarket.com/careers

About Creative Market
Every year, millions of customers use Creative Market to bring their creative projects to life with ready-to-use design assets like fonts, graphics, photos and more from independent creators around the world. To learn more about the marketplace and community, visit: https://creativemarket.com/

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Audrey Jacobson
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