Two Omahans are among a list of investors named as participants in a $2.5 million Series A round by Artspace, an online marketplace for contemporary art. On Jan. 31, the New York-based startup sent out the announcement, naming 12 investors. Four of them are institutional investors and eight are individuals, including Todd Simon (far left), senior vice president* of Omaha Steaks, and Pete Ricketts (near left), former COO of TD Ameritrade and founder of Drakon, an asset management company in Omaha.

Simon has displayed a passion for the arts, serving on the board of directors for the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha. Ricketts has been a part of the Nebraska Angels organization, an angel investing group. In a video produced by the organization in December, Ricketts said his angel investments range between $25,000 and $250,000.

For more on Artspace and its Series A round, read its press release just below or the news on TechCrunch:

Artspace.com, the leading online marketplace for contemporary art, is pleased to announce the close of a $2.5 million Series A round of financing from notable professional and institutional investors. With this new financing, Artspace is pleased to introduce Andrew Goldstein, former Executive Editor of ARTINFO, as the company’s new Editor-In-Chief. …

Launched on March 29, 2011, Artspace.com is the only platform where users can buy works by top contemporary artists directly from artist studios, leading commercial galleries and prestigious cultural institutions, including the Guggenheim, David Zwirner, White Cube and many others – all in one place.

Read the full press release

Image credits: Screenshot from artspace.com. Photo of Todd Simon from bemiscenter.org. Photo of Pete Ricketts from platteinstitute.org.

Update 9:10 a.m. – When published, the post incorrectly identified Tood Simon as CEO of Omaha Steaks, per the Artspace.com release. The post has been updated with his correct title of senior vice president.