A startup that uses the bitcoin blockchain to establish digital ownership of art and other creative works has raised $2m in seed funding.

Ascribe received backing from Earlybird Venture Capital, Digital Currency Group, Freelands Ventures and a group of angel investors, according to a report by TechCrunch.

Founder Bruce Pon told the news outlet that the idea for the product first took shape in 2013, explaining:

"The idea to use blockchain to allow artists to create digital scarcity germinated in mid-2013 when [founders] Trent and Masha [McConaghy] asked 'Can you own digital art like you own bitcoin?'"

The prototype for the project, Pon explained, was built by McConaghy in fall of 2013, with the founders leaving to pursue the project full time in 2014.

"Since then, we've been refining the technology and working with early users," he continued.