Activate (formerly Bloglovin') is a platform that allows users to read and organize blogs on mobile and desktop. It is a design-focused platform that aggregates feeds from sources with RSS feeds, allowing users to discover and organize content. As of April 2014, Bloglovin reached over 16 million global users monthly.
History
Founding and early years
Bloglovin' was founded in a garage in Täby, Sweden in 2007 by Dan Carlberg, Daniel Swenson, Patrik Ring, Mattias Swenson, and Daniel Gren. Launched as “Blogkoll” (Swedish for “to keep track of blogs”), the initial goal of Bloglovin’ was to help fashion followers keep track of blogs without having to open up multiple tabs on their browsers. Bloglovin’ eventually developed into a platform that allows users to consume, organize, and discover the Internet's disaggregated content.
In October 2011, Bloglovin' registered its 1 millionth user.
Funding and growth
2012
In 2012, Bloglovin' raised $1 million in Series A funding from investors including Betaworks, Lerer Ventures, RRE Ventures, Hank P. Vigil & Fritz Lanman, Eric Martineau-Fortin, Rob Wiesenthal, Jill Greenthal, and Investment AB Kinnevik.
2013
In January 2013, Bloglovin' moved their headquarters to New York. The company continues to have an office in Stockholm, Sweden. Bloglovin' experienced a significant growth in signups following the demise of Google Reader. In May 2013, the site launched a major redesign, which included changes allowing users to curate content. In September 2013, The Next Web included Bloglovin' on its list of "50 New York City Startup You Need to Know About."
2014
In February 2014, Joy Marcus, formerly a managing director at Gotham Ventures was appointed chief executive officer of Bloglovin’. Marcus is an “industry veteran” with “experience in the media and technology industry and a proven track record launching and growing companies.” Prior to joining Gotham Ventures, Marcus held senior executive positions at Time Warner (AOL) and Barnes&Noble.com, and spent the early years of her career launching MTV in several countries, including Russia and South Africa.
In April 2014, Bloglovin raised $7 million in Series A funding. Investor Northzone led the round, and the founders of Babble and SoulCycle invested personally in the site. Additionally, Bloglovin' received further investment from previous funders Betaworks, Lerer Ventures, While Star Capital, and Bassett Investment Group. According to CEO Marcus, this investment will primarily be used to “recruit engineering talent.” Christian Hernandez (WhiteStar), Bruce Jaffe (Glam Media), Paul Murphy (Betaworks, Dots), and Pär-Jörgen Pärson (Northzone) sit on the board of Bloglovin'.
Name Change and CEO
In April 2018, the company rebranded as Activate and replaced former Bloglovin' CEO Giordano Contestabile with Kamiu Lee, formerly Bloglovin's vice president of strategy and business development. The platform launched Activate Studio at the same time. The company's decision to rebrand came shortly after Northzone made significant investments in the platform.
Android and iOS Apps
Activate also offers apps for both Android and iOS platforms.
Bloglovin' Awards
The Bloglovin' Awards, held annually since 2011, are an annual awards night during New York Fashion Week hosted by Bloglovin' honoring bloggers in various categories.