Discord raised $50 million in funding this year - report
Company behind game chat app was valued at $725 million in January
The gaming-focused chat application Discord has reportedly raised $50 million in funding, which would put the company's lifetime total past $80 million.
According to Techcrunch, the $50 million round was led by Index Ventures, and featured contributions from existing backers Spark Capital, Greylock Partners and Benchmark Capital. The funding was raised in January this year, at a valuation of $725 million.
Discord has not confirmed the funding, but CEO Jason Citron issued this statement: "We are extremely proud of the impact Discord is making and the progress of our mission to connect people around their love of gaming. This has resonated with our community and also the investment community who see the value in what we are creating.
"Any investment we earn is poured directly into making Discord better and supporting the massive growth we've seen over the past year."
Discord had already raised more than $30 million in funding before the latest round, and the sources indicated it would raise more in the near future. The app has 45 million registered users, and 9 million DAUs.
The company was founded by Citron in 2012, a year after he sold his previous company, OpenFeint, to Gree for $104 million. Initially known as Hammer & Chisel, it launched the iOS MOBA Fates Forever in June 2014, before pivoting toward creating and launching the Discord app in March 2015.
Yesterday, it announced that Andy Swanson had joined the company as head of public relations from Twitch, one of the dominant companies with which Discord intends to compete.