Godengo raises $2.16 million

Magazine to Web site publishing platform to get a boost with new funds

Godengo, provider of a magazine to Web site solution, has raised approximately $2.16 million in new funding, according to a regulatory filing. Investor information had yet to be disclosed at press time.

While most people seem to just be sitting around idly as newspaper and magazine subscriptions dwindle, occasionally taking the time to frantically proclaim the death of print media, the team over at Emeryville, CA-based Godengo actually seems to be providing a solution to the problem.

Rivista is a fully fleshed out online publishing and advertising solution provided by Godengo for magazine publishers to get their content online. A completely browser-based publishing system, Rivista provides publishers with a hosting service, a dual content and advertising management system, syndication tools, site statistics and performance reports, and much, much more.

Realizing that a completely effective print-to-Web publishing system would not merely upload text to a site and be done with it, Godengo also provides its clients with a collection of interactive tools--blogs, polls, galleries, calendars, etc.--that can be used to supplement printed material. Presumably, magazines that take advantage of Godengo's solution would feature Web sites very similar to the actual publication, in addition to those interactive devices that make the Web so great for connecting and creating with other people.

On top of the Rivista platform, Godengo's GeoBase software creates a searchable online database of businesses organized by category, location, and/or feature. A tool like this could be popular for, as an example, a dining out magazine that wants to provide its readers with an easy look-up table for restaurants featured in the publication.

Godengo, specializing in regional and lifestyle magazines, already boasts a wealthy list of clients, including the Tribune Company (Chicago Magazine, Chicago Home Magazine) and Charlotte Magazine.