ONGALLERY
IDEA
ONGallery is an online publisher of authenticated exclusive limited edition art and photographic prints at affordable prices.
Art is a $100bn a year business. With only approx. 2% ($2bn) online ,the growth potential is large; it grew by 68% in just the last year according to Hiscox 2015 Online Art Trade Report.
At ONGallery we solve two problems:
We solve these problems by creating, artist-authenticated, limited editions in sufficient numbers to make high-quality, collectable art affordable – typically in the range of £200 to £1,200 – but without losing sight of its investment potential.
These limited editions are sold through three channels:
To support these activities, we have signed over 50 artists and curated 600 images exclusively; we have built our website – www.ongallery.com; we have worked with an agency to develop the technology to interconnect our e-commerce platform with one of the most technically advanced printing, framing and fulfilment facilities in Europe; and launched an engine through which we are building a large database of art enthusiasts. Shortly we will begin introducing our database to Artists’ own ONGalleries – giving artists access to our tools to promote their own images.
This crowdfunding round of £250,000 will add to early seed funding from Sir John Hegarty a founding shareholder of Saatchi & Saatchi and Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) and renowned VC Tom Teichman an early investor in lastminute.com, notonthehighstreet.com and others. This funding will bring our total funds raised to £560,000 and we believe it will allow us to roll-out our Artists’ Own Gallery plans without further recourse to shareholders.
HISTORY
Peter Neilson, our founding CEO, started life as a fashion photographer and has always had an eye for a great picture. He later co-founded World Telecom plc and through that developed expertise in affinity marketing with one of the world’s first independent calling card products – recognising the business advantages of marketing to common interest groups. In early 2014 he teamed up with former colleagues Keith Allsopp, Paul Walsh and Michael Carter to develop a business model around bringing great authentic art to buyers at affordable prices.
From experience, the traditional gallery model requires an artist to supply, at their own cost, limited edition prints for a particular show. If the piece is sold it can be replaced, but quite often the work is returned unsold. The galleries’ limited reach and high overheads require them to only promote better known artists in small limited editions of say five for which they can charge thousands of pounds. ONGallery increases the edition number allowing the artist the chance of exceeding the gallery income by offering their work to more customers at a lower price per piece. The extra value added for the artist is greater exposure than comparative footfall in a gallery, increasing the artist’s recognition, popularity and the value of the artist’s work. This is a clear win-win: great art at affordable prices for discerning buyers; increased exposure and higher income for artists.
FUNDING
Having assembled what we believe is a world-class team, we have ambitious plans for strong, profitable growth.
The current funding will take us to and through our next stage of development. It will be used as follows: