Nimbuzz, the company behind the popular VoIP and IM client, has announced that it has raised $15 million in the second round of funding. Naspers/MIH led the round and Nimbuzz’s other major existing investor, Mangrove Capital Partners, also participated.
According to the official release, the new money will be used to further develop Nimbuzz’s product offering into the “most comprehensive and user friendly application for the widest range of handsets, across multiple IM and Social Network communities and in any country.”
Commenting on the announcement, Nimbuzz’s founder and CEO Evert Jaap Lugt said: “We are actively working on strategic distribution deals with leading social networks and mobile operators. It is our aim to blend our technology with existing mobile internet access to upgrade the value chain for business and consumers alike. Operators understand the need for services like Nimbuzz which provide traffic and drive the demand for mobile data plans, an ever more important revenue stream.”
Nimbuzz and now employs 70 people, and already has signed deals with 10 major social networks and 3 operators.
Last year, Nimbuzz raised $10 million in funding, led by Mangrove Capital Partners with investments from Naspers/MIH Group and Holtzbrinck Ventures.