Founded in 1999, eTix has grown to about 70 employees worldwide, including 40 locally. It moved its headquarters last year from Raleigh to a larger site in Morrisville. It also has offices in Charleston, S.C.; Dallas; Japan; China and Germany.

The company, whose Web-based software enables online ticket sales, handled the sale last year of more than 30 million tickets for 2,000 cinema, music and theater venues worldwide. The company had revenue of $11 million last year but does not disclose profit.

Southern Capitol Ventures provided the $1 million in venture capital. The Raleigh investment firm specializes in Web-based software, e-commerce and online music. And eTix is at the intersection of those three businesses, said Jason Caplain, a partner with Southern Capitol, the sole institutional investor in the company.

Caplain said the investment is a token amount that symbolizes Southern Capitol's interest in the eTix business model.

"They don't need the capital, they chose to work with us because of our knowledge of the business," Caplain said.

The online ticketing platform allows any eTix customer to sell event tickets through a link on their Web site. When a ticket is purchased, it appears on the buyer's browser window with instructions to print. The purchaser also receives an e-mailed receipt for the transaction.

Online competitors include TicketReturn in Charlotte. But eTix is the largest Web-based software provider for small and medium entertainment venues, based on the number of venues served and the number of tickets processed, Caplain said.

Venues supported by eTix include theaters, arenas, sporting venues, movie theaters, festivals, tours and ski resorts. Local customers include Cat's Cradle and the N.C. State Fair.

"Having Southern Capitol Ventures actively involved with eTix is an important next step as we continue to rapidly grow our business," Travis Janovich, chief executive of eTix, said in a statement. Efforts to reach him Thursday for further comment were unsuccessful.