REDMOND, Wash., Dec. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Smilebox, Inc., the leader in
multimedia expressions technology, today announced it has raised $7 million
in Series B financing. Bessemer Venture Partners led the round and was
joined by existing investor Frazier Technology Ventures. Rob Stavis,
Managing Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, will join the Smilebox board
of directors. Smilebox will use the new funding to expand internationally,
extend its syndication and promotional partnerships and bring Smilebox to
new platforms.
"Smilebox has pioneered the multimedia expressions category and
established a proven business model. The service combines technology
innovation with a strong focus on ease of use," said Rob Stavis at Bessemer
Venture Partners. "We look forward to working with Smilebox and its
partners to accelerate its growth."
The Series B financing comes at a time when more than 1.8 million users
have installed the Smilebox service since its launch in June 2006 and more
than 1.3 million unique users worldwide access it monthly. "Smilebox is
very pleased to have Bessemer Venture Partners leading this round. Their
consumer technology experience, deep industry connections and an impressive
track record bring tremendous value to Smilebox," said Andrew Wright,
founder and CEO of Smilebox.
"We recognize enormous potential for Smilebox as this round enables
them to drive a continued separation in the market," said Paul Bialek,
General Partner at Frazier Technology Ventures.
About Bessemer Venture Partners
Bessemer Venture Partners is a global investment group with offices in
Silicon Valley, Boston, New York, Mumbai and Shanghai. As the oldest
venture capital practice in the United States, Bessemer has partnered as an
active, hands-on investor in Ciena, Ingersoll Rand, Parametric, Skype,
Staples, VeriSign and W.R. Grace and more than 100 other companies that
have gone public. To learn more, visit http://www.bvp.com.
About Smilebox
Smilebox makes it easy for family and friends to connect around special
moments in their lives, by sharing their photos, videos and words inside
unique digital scrapbooks, slide shows and photo greetings via email, blog
or print. The Smilebox catalog features designs from leading providers such
as Hallmark, Making Memories, Madison Park Greetings, K&Company, as well as
the Smilebox Studio design team. Its distribution partners include Hallmark
Cards Inc., Lifetime Entertainment Services, Six Apart, Ltd., Atom
Shockwave and Rogers Media Inc. The service can be downloaded free of
charge at http://www.smilebox.com. Based in Redmond, Washington, Smilebox
was founded in 2005 by Andrew Wright.
Smilebox is a trademark of Smilebox, Inc. All trademarks and brands are
the property of their respective owners.
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SOURCE Smilebox, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.smilebox.com
CONTACT:
Tamese Robinson, +1-425-881-9475, ext. 216,
tamese@smilebox.com, or Yannis Dosios, +1-425-881-9475, ext. 222,
yannis@smilebox.com, both of Smilebox, Inc.
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