Illume Software, creator of iZUP, raises new round for speed-sensing BlackBerry and Android app
Illume Software, developer of a mobile app designed to prevent distracted driving, announced Thursday that it has secured $2.4 million in new funding from the Massachusetts Technology Development Corp. (MTDC) and prominent individual investors. Also participating are previous investors Tower Capital Partners and Rudyard Partners. Illume has raised $6.5 million to date.
Walter (Jerry) Bird of the MTDC has been appointed to the Illume Board of Directors.
iZUP (pronounenced “eyes up”) is Illume’s only current offering, an app available for BlackBerry and Android on any of the most popular carriers, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon. iPhone and Windows Phone 7 users are out of luck.
The app blocks all incoming mobile signals and notifications, which includes inbound calls, text messages, social network alerts, etc. for drivers. Using GPS technology and sensors in the mobile device, iZUP automatically disables all these potential distractions as soon as the user's phone, presumably in a car, goes over a certain speed.
Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Boston, Illume could have something going for it, since
state laws increasingly restrict handheld usage of mobile phones by drivers.
“With nearly one-third of all accidents caused by mobile phone distractions, and those accidents causing not only thousands of lost lives per year but also tens of billions in lost products and services, investors have seen that iZUP is becoming not just a safety solution, but an economic imperative,” said Dan Ross, CEO of Illume.
People used to paying a one-off fee for apps will have to swallow their pride if they want iZUP. The app costs $3 per month for individual users, or discounted at $20 for a whole year. Alternatively, iZUP also offers a family plan, which allows three to five phones on the same account and costs $6 per month or $60 for the year.
To learn more about iZUP, watch this interview with Ross. Key quote: “Our competition is the off button,” but he doesn’t seem too concerned about that.
Bambi Francisco Roizen
Steven Loeb
