There has been a rise in people buying art for their homes during lockdown.
In their 30 Second Interview, Inews are talking to businesses which have either been built during the pandemic or changed their business model to cope.
Michal Szczesny is the chief executive of Artfinder, an online art marketplace that recently finished a £1m fundraise backed by Irish investors Brian and Eamonn Fallon.
When did Artfinder start, and what was the idea behind it?
The business was started in 2010 by Spencer Hyman, and the original idea was to allow people to explore a personalised feed of artwork tailored to their taste.
Eventually in 2013, under new leadership, Artfinder was relaunched as an art marketplace.
Our vision is to create a world where art benefits everyone and we are doing this by making art more accessible, affordable and a viable career for artists.
To accommodate this impressive growth, we’ve been investing heavily in our team and operation, to ensure we’re well equipped to serve our community as it grows.
How has Artfinder been affected by Covid-19?
Initially we were negatively affected, but like many online businesses related to the home décor industry our sales have picked up to levels not seen before. Many of us look to improve our homes, specifically now that we know we’ll spend significant amounts of time indoors. Art helps to make spaces more homely and, as proven by studies, boosts mental wellbeing.
What are your next plans?
We have just closed a crowdfunding round where we welcomed 1,200 members of our own community as shareholders. The funds allow us to expand our operations and invest in a number of growth initiatives, all designed to help expand our artists’ reach and increase chances of them selling to new audiences.
Our dream is to be the platform where artists see the most success and offer them opportunities to reach collectors wherever they are. Possibilities are endless and with an expanded team we look forward to dramatically improving our platform for the benefit of our entire community.
(Story source: Inews)
