Voddler gains $8m from Nokia as corporate venturing partner.

Nokia Growth Partners, the $350m corporate venturing unit of Finland-based phone maker Nokia, has invested $8m in Voddler, a Sweden-based provider of video-on-demand services.

Last year, Voddler showed 5 million movies to more than 850 000 customers throughout Scandinavia from a catalogue of 3 500 titles. Over 80% of the content on Voddler is ad-funded and free to the consumer. Voddler’s developing films for handheld devices, such as smart phones and tablets, as well as on internet-connected televisions and set-top boxes.

Marcus Bäcklund, chief executive of Voddler, said: "The entire entertainment industry is moving into digital distribution. Viewing films on computers and handheld devices are becoming more and more common. I know we’ll benefit tremendously from Nokia’s vast experience in mobility."

Bo Ilsoe, partner at Nokia Growth Partners, said: "There are great opportunities ahead in innovating media delivery digitally and we believe Voddler is well positioned to do so."

James Mawson

James Mawson is founder and chief executive of Global Venturing.