Congratulations to George Burciaga and the team at Elevate Digital on their announcement of $2.7 million in series A funding and the launch of the Elevate Digital product line.
[This post originally appeared in the Chicago Tribune.]
Elevate Digital, a Chicago technology company whose interactive outdoor kiosks can be found throughout high-trafficked areas in the city, said Wednesday that it has raised $2.7 million in a round led by Advantage Capital Partners.
Elevate Digital used to be branded as SmartDigital. It has more than 100 kiosks in Chicago in locations such as Navy Pier and Water Tower Place. The machines have touchscreens and allow consumers to interact with advertising, view tourist information, snap photos of themselves and make purchases. Earlier in 2012, the company partnered with Chicago-based Groupon to sell daily deals and real-time offers on the kiosks. Elevate Digital has also partnered with the Chicago Tribune.
The company said it plans to use its funding to introduce new products in Chicago, including displays that are designed to be mounted on walls and glass, as well as expanding its service to cities such as New York and Miami. Elevate Digital is moving into new headquarters at 200 S. Michigan Ave. and plans to double its headcount from 10 employees in the next 90 days.
"Our objective is to develop an interactive out-of-home platform that is national in scale yet locally targeted," George Burciaga, the company's co-founder and chief executive, said in a statement.
Advantage Capital Partners has offices in St. Louis, New Orleans and Downers Grove, among other locations. Also participating in the investment round was Chicago-based Metropolitan Capital Bank.
