If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Mobile Gaming Social Network Cellufun Secures $3 Million in First Round Funding from Longworth Venture Partners

Leading Mobile Gaming Social Network to Scale Marketing and Sales of Popular Portal and Gaming Community

NEW YORK (March 20th, 2007) - Cellufun, a leading free-mobile gaming community provider, today announced that it had successfully completed a $3 million Series A funding from Longworth Venture Partners. Cellufun will use the financing to aggressively develop its product line, increase external marketing efforts and support enhanced sales goals for one of the world's most popular multiplayer mobile gaming communities.

"The success of a social networking business model that offers free content has been demonstrated with many online communities and now Cellufun is proving how the same can be applied to the mobile internet," said Steve Dacek, Cellufun's COO and co-founder. "We enable people to play classically entertaining games with other people in real-time through their mobile phones. Our customers play games that are challenging and fun, but also provide social interaction."

Founded in 2005, Cellufun now has more than two million people visiting its site each month to download and play games. Traffic to the Cellufun mobile web (WAP) site grew to more than 15 million page views per month, tripling in the last 3 months. Cellufun offers mobile consumers worldwide free, multi-player games that are downloadable via mobile phone WAP browsers.

Nilanjana Bhowmik, a partner at Longworth Venture Partners, will join the company's board of directors. Ms. Bhowmik has helped new technology companies successfully navigate the financial landscape from start-up to global brand status and has a strong interest in wireless consumer applications, social-networking communities and other technology enterprises.

"Longworth conducted detailed research and analysis of the mobile social networking space and is convinced that Cellufun's early success will make it a leader in this emerging market segment," said Ms. Bhowmik. "We believe the company's platform and model will enable it to become the leader in mobile social communities focused around fun and competition."

"We are excited to add Nilanjana Bhowmik and Longworth Venture Partners expertise in mobile applications and social networking to the Cellufun team," said Arthur Goikhman, Cellufun's CEO. "This investment is important not only to Cellufun but also to our clients. We can now focus on developing new, exciting and free entertainment for the world's most ubiquitous gaming platform."

Games including Chess, Sudoku and mobile pets are playable in real-time, in competition with other members of the Cellufun gaming community. The service is applicable for existing and next-generation web-enabled mobile phones. Using WAP banner ads, in-game ads and product placement, the games are sponsored by leading brands and advertisers.

About Cellufun, Inc

Cellufun is an ad sponsored mobile gaming portal providing free entertainment content and casual connected and multiplayer games for existing and next-generation web-enabled mobile phones. For more information, visit cellufun.com.

About Longworth Venture Partners

Longworth Venture Partners ( www.longworth.com) is a Boston-based venture capital firm that invests in early-stage software, internet, wireless, and media companies. For over twenty years, the Longworth team has founded, built, and led investments in some of the most innovative and successful technology companies. The firm combines a proven track record of entrepreneurial and operating success with top venture investing performance to support entrepreneurs in building the next generation of technology leaders.

Author
GamesIndustry International avatar

GamesIndustry International

Contributor

GamesIndustry International is the world's leading games industry website, incorporating GamesIndustry.biz and IndustryGamers.com.