LookStat, an online startup serving microstock photographers, has announced it has closed a round of financing with $500 in venture capital. The Seattle technology company offers a Web-based service that allows microstock contributors to track their sales by image at multiple sites.
LookStat remains in beta and currently supports Dreamstime, iStockphoto and Shutterstock. Support for 123rf, Fotolia and Stockxpert is in near-future plans. Despite limited features, the service has already attracted praise, press and investment—no small feat during this economic times.
The corporate blog is full of user comments such as, “I am finding the Lookstat earnings section very helpful in targeting the type of images we should be concentrating on.” The service has been positively rated by a number of popular microstock bloggers and more established online media, including TechCrunch and Xconomy.
Founded by Rahul Pathak and Casey Zednick, the service is currently free but will become a paid subscription product. LookStat’s lead investor is Founders Co-op, whose general partner Andy Sack joins the LookStat board of directors. The board is chaired by Adam Brotman, former Corbis executive in charge of the soon-to-shutter microstock experiment SnapVillage.