Lookout raises $19.5M for smartphone security

Ronny Kerr · December 23, 2010 · Short URL: https://vator.tv/n/152a

Mobile antivirus startup gets a third round from Accel Partners and Khosla Ventures

LookoutSmartphone security company Lookout has raised a $19.5 million third round of funding, led by Index Ventures with participation from existing investors Accel Partners and Khosla Ventures, we’ve confirmed.

In May of this year, Lookout closed an $11 million Series B round of funding led by Accel Partners with participation from Khosla Ventures and Trilogy Partnership. Added to a $5.5 million Series A raised a year ago from Khosla, Trilogy and various angels (like Eventbrite CEO Kevin Hartz), the new round brings Lookout’s total funding to $36 million.

Lookout builds free mobile applications for Android, BlackBerry and Windows that offer security features like a virus/spyware scanner and a stolen phone locator. Automatic backup of the phone’s data to the cloud is also included.

If there’s any company that could be the Symantec or McAfee for mobile phones, Lookout is the one. It’s not the only one trying, however; famously free antivirus software company AVG acquired DroidSecurity in November.

“Smartphones are the next computer for billions of consumers and it’s clear that, just as in the PC world, consumers and their phones need protection,” said Mike Volpi, partner at Index Ventures.

In November, Lookout began offering a premium version of its service that comes with Privacy Advisor, which scans other apps on your phone to see what private information they might be accessing, as well as Remote Wipe and Remote Lock, which give you remote access to either clear the phone’s data or lock it.

Premium users can also backup more data from their phone, like photos, call history and contacts.   

The service managed to pick up over four million registered users in a year, as the service continues to grow exponentially. While it took over half the year to pick up the first million, that number had doubled by September and has now quadrupled.

The upcoming iPhone application, slated for a 2011 launch, could easily balloon registration numbers.

Lookout is based in San Francisco and employs nearly 50 people.

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Khosla Ventures

Angel group/VC

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Khosla Ventures offers venture assistance, strategic advice and capital to entrepreneurs. The firm helps entrepreneurs extend the potential of their ideas in both traditional venture areas like the Internet, computing, mobile, and silicon technology arenas but also supports breakthrough scientific work in clean technology areas such as bio-refineries for energy and bioplastics, solar, battery and other environmentally friendly technologies. Vinod was formerly a General Partner at Kleiner Perkins and founder of Sun Microsystems. Vinod has been labeled the #1 VC by Forbes and Fortune recently labeled him as one the nation's most influential ethanol advocates, noting "there are venture capitalists, and there's Vinod Khosla." Vinod Khosla founded the firm in 2004.

Eventbrite, Inc.

Startup/Business

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Eventbrite is the world’s largest self-service ticketing platform, and enables people all over the world to plan, promote, and sell out any event. The online event registration service has helped organizers process over 130 million tickets in 179 countries, and makes it easy for everyone to discover and share the events with people they know. In this way, Eventbrite brings communities together by encouraging people to connect through live experiences. Eventbrite's investors include DAG Ventures, Sequoia Capital, T. Rowe Price, Tenaya Capital and Tiger Global. Learn more at www.eventbrite.com.

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Kevin Hartz

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