Business News Holding

Tag: funding

  • Fring Targets Mainstream Users With New Funding


    VoIP start-up fring has announced that it intends to accelerate its growth plans after completing a third round of funding.

    Avi Shechter, fring co-founder and CEO, said a key objective is to make the free VoIP and IM service easier to use for mainstream "fringsters".

    While no details on the level of funding were available, all previous fring investors participated in this round including US based North Bridge Venture Partners, Pitango Venture Capital, Veritas Venture Partners and VenFin Limited.

    Shechter said fring is already turning the mobile into the "ultimate social device" by mashing up people’s favourite forms and modes of communication.

    "We plan to add to the fring experience and make it an ever more central part of fringsters’ social lives," he said.

    fring users can currently share experiences with friends on facebook, Twitter, Last.fm, among others, while communicating via Skype, MSN Messenger, GoogleTalk TM, Yahoo!TM, AIM and ICQ.

    Shechter said the new capital would be used to make fring even more accessible to the rest of the mobile world.

  • Jajah Attracts $ 2.8M To Expand VoIP services


    Jajah has secured USD $2.75 million from an anticipated USD $5 million fourth round of funding.

    Launched three years ago, the VoIP communication service has grown steadily and now provide a service to millions of users.

    Although the identities of the latest investors haven’t been released, Jajah has been backed by Globespan Capital Partners, Intel Capital, Deutsche Telekom and Sequoia Capital in the past, according to VentureBeat.

    The Menlo Park, California-based company previously raised USD $23 million.

    Last April it signed a deal with Yahoo to provide phone-to-PC calling capabilities to the 90 million people who use the search giant’s messenger product.

    In February, it rolled out software for Windows Mobile, Blackberry and Symbian that allows them to make VoIP calls over WiFi or the cellular network.

    It also released a system that allows any carrier to deliver calling and text messaging services to the iPod Touch, no SIM card required.

    At the start of this month, Jajah began a partnership with Bravestorm, developer of the click-to-call BoldCall product.

    Under the deal, companies using BoldCall will allow visitors to their sites to call live customer service representatives in real time for free via the Jajah IP network.

  • AdMob Strengthens Position With $ 12.5m Funding


    The mobile ad network AdMob has raised USD $12.5 million in a further round of venture funding.

    The new investment is its third round of funding, which now totals USD $28.2 million.

    Chief executive Omar Hamoui said the new funds will be used to make investments to ensure AdMob comes out of this "challenging economic environment" in a strong position.

    The San Mateo, California-based company has made a number of announcements recently.

    These include offering, first iPhone-customized ads and metrics, and then earlier this week a similar service for Google’s Android smartphone.

    The new funding comes from Draper Fisher Jurvetson.

  • Ifbyphone Secures $4.6 Million in New Round of Funding


    Times may be tough but Ifbyphone has defied the apparent drought in venture capital funding and secured USD $4.6 million in a second round of institutional funding.

    The capital infusion for the hosted telephone application platform company was jointly led by Apex Venture Partners and Origin Ventures, who also invested in Ifbyphone’s first round of institutional funding.

    They were joined by three other venture capital firms:Spring Mill Venture Partners, i2A and Blue Crest Capital Finance, L.P.

    Irv Shapiro, Ifbyphone founder and CEO, said the new round of funding was a strong endorsement of the company’s growth and expansion strategy.

    Ifbyphone provides small and medium-sized businesses with telephony features that enable them to create phone solutions.

    “It positions us extremely well to continue our expansion during these complex economic times,” he said.

    Ken Green, co-founder and managing partner at Spring Mill Venture Partners, said he believed Ifbyphone represented the next great wave of Internet-enabled business services.

    He said it allowed small and medium-sized businesses access to capabilities previously only available to their larger competitors.

    "This kind of service offers an opportunity to level the competitive playing field,” he said.