Axiell acquires CultureConnect to bring end-to-end digital engagement solutions to cultural institutions

Expanded offering is influential in the industry, ensuring museum collections can be turned into market-leading audience experiences across channels and devices

LUND, Sweden, Sept. 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Axiell, the world’s leading software and services provider for the cultural sector, announces the acquisition of CultureConnect, an award-winning technology company headquartered in New York City that empowers cultural institutions to easily create beautiful and dynamic digital experiences that broaden audience engagement onsite and online.

This groundbreaking acquisition integrates Axiell’s collections management solutions with CultureConnect’s audience engagement software to advance the technology landscape for museums, libraries, archives, and other cultural institutions who are under increasing pressure to digitize and modernize. Customers can easily build mobile guides, in-gallery interactives, online exhibitions, virtual programming, and distance learning tools by directly accessing the media and data in their collection management system. Additionally, the cloud-based solution seamlessly integrates with diverse enterprise software tools to maximize revenue generation, data collection, and workflows.

The CultureConnect acquisition establishes an innovation-based path for institutions to broaden their digital footprint inside the museum’s walls and across virtual channels, both of which are fast-growing trends that have become even more relevant during Covid-19. At a time when in-person experiences are limited, CultureConnect provides museums the platform they need to make collections and exhibitions more accessible and interactive across channels and devices.

“I am thrilled we have acquired CultureConnect, now part of Axiell’s expanding ecosystem,” said Joel Sommerfeldt, CEO of Axiell Group. “Together we can offer our customers around the world the market-leading solution for museums seeking to transform their collections into story-driven interactive experiences for visitors, virtual audiences, and distance learners alike. Our customers can trust we will meet their growing and evolving demands for technology and the expectations of modern audiences.”

“Our acquisition by Axiell is an exciting step forward giving cultural institutions the technology needed to own their media distribution in ways that expand both reach and revenue opportunities,” said Samantha Diamond, CEO of CultureConnect. “By marrying the cultural sector’s leading software solutions into a single platform, means we can truly influence the future of the industry and better serve our customers and their communities. I look forward to continuing to serve as CEO, while also taking on the new role of helping shape the digital future of Axiell Group more broadly.”

The CultureConnect platform is a strategic acquisition supporting Axiell’s vision to meet the sector’s exponentially growing demand for content creation, publication, and audience consumption. Connecting collections management systems with front-end engagement technologies will improve workflows, data accuracy and synchronization across systems, and reduce double-work and fragmented record keeping. With this acquisition, Axiell and CultureConnect become the cultural sector’s first full stack solution.

No further information about the transaction is disclosed.

About Axiell
Axiell’s solutions help institutions share culture and knowledge with the world. Our software and services assist them to manage their collections, encourage reading, preserve cultural heritage, improve learning and increase engagement with the public. Our 11,300 customers are libraries, museums, archives, schools, publishers and retailers in 58 countries. We develop innovative digital tools to transform the way they work and connect with their audiences. We do this from 28 offices globally, with headquarters in Sweden. To find out more about us and our products, please visit http://www.axiell.com

About CultureConnect
CultureConnect is an award-winning technology company empowering museums, libraries, attractions, and cultural organizations to deliver engaging digital experiences to audiences online, in-gallery, or on personal devices. Our innovative design, publishing, and content management platform is the first-of-its-kind, driving engagement and learning. It’s an API-ready, scalable platform that solves persistent technology management challenges while propelling cultural organizations digitally forward. Customers using our leading SaaS engagement platform include a wide-range set of institutions from the U.S. House of Representatives, Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, and the Bell Museum of Natural History to many art museums including the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Art, Houston, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of American Art — as well as a host of universities, libraries, and private collectors. Learn more at: http://www.cultureconnectme.com

For more information:

Maria Wasing
COO, Axiell Group
Phone: +46 73 852 17 52
Email: maria.wasing@axiell.com

Samantha Diamond
CEO, CultureConnect
Email: samantha@cultureconnectme.com