Zynga, Smule make it a double VatorSplash!
Social gaming and iPhone app kingpins raise big bucks on the same day
What a day. If you've not heard, or have been hiding under a rock, both Zynga and Smule on Wednesday announced that they've raised significant sums of financing.
It just so happens that the CEOs of both companies will be headlining our VatorSplash event this February 4, 2010.
Their momentum will be sure to make the event a Double Splash!
Let's start with Zynga, which just raised a massive round of $180 million. Russian investment firm Digital Sky Technologies, which also invested in Facebook back in May is leading the round with Andreesen Horowitz and Tiger Global also participating. Zynga's raised $219 million to-date. And, according to some number crunchers found by the NYTimes, the social gaming phenom could be worth nearly $3 billion. Quite a stunning number and an impressive run for a company that just started in 2008.
CEO and founder Mark Pincus will be onstage for 25 minutes talking about how he built the biggest multi-billion social gaming company in just a couple years, and how he's attracted 230 million monthly active users playing its games from FarmVille, Café World, Zynga Poker, Mafia Wars, YoVille, FishVille and the recently announced PetVille.
Smule announced it's secured $8 million in additional financing. New investor, Shasta Ventures led the round. Existing investors Bessemer Venture Partners and Granite Ventures also participated in the round. This brings Smule's total funding to $13.5 million.
CEO and co-founder Jeff Smith will be onstage for 25 minutes talking about how he's building the best iPhone app publisher out there and reveal some secrets behind how he's created hit after hit products that are among the highest-grossing on the app store, like I am T-Pain and Ocarina, to name a few.
Both CEOs are serial entrepreneurs, and founders of companies that went public. Jeff founded and took email software company Tumbleweed public while Mark co-founded and brought SupportSoft public.
Be sure to make it to San Francisco to catch them onstage. In honor of this day, I'm giving out for 24 hours 35% discounted tickets to the event. Go to the event page and use "doublesplash" as the discount code.
If you want to share the stage with them and be a presenting startup, be sure to join the Splash competition!
(Image source: cachet4.asset-cache.net)
Bambi Francisco Roizen
Founder and CEO of Vator, a media and research firm for entrepreneurs and investors; Managing Director of Vator Health Fund; Co-Founder of Invent Health; Author and award-winning journalist.
All author postsRelated Companies, Investors, and Entrepreneurs
Zynga
Startup/Business
Joined Vator on
Zynga is the largest social gaming company with 8.5 million daily users and 45 million monthly users. Zynga’s games are available on Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, Hi5, Friendster, Yahoo! and the iPhone, and include Texas Hold’Em Poker, Mafia Wars, YoVille, Vampires, Street Racing, Scramble and Word Twist. The company is funded by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, IVP, Union Square Ventures, Foundry Group, Avalon Ventures, Pilot Group, Reid Hoffman and Peter Thiel. Zynga is headquartered at the Chip Factory in San Francisco. For more information, please visit www.zynga.com.
Smule
Startup/Business
Joined Vator on
Smule develops interactive sonic applications for the iPhone and other technology platforms. Smule is developing the new sonic network, connecting users across the globe through expressive audio. Smule's Ocarina, I Am T-Pain, and Leaf Trombone have set the standard for iPhone applications, combining innovative uses of the hardware with compelling social experiences.
Mark Pincus
Joined Vator on
Jeffrey Smith
Joined Vator on