Nix Hydra nets $5m to address young female market

Nix Hydra, a startup focused on making interactive entertainment for young women, has raised $5 million in its first round of funding.

The round was led by the Foundry Group, a VC firm that had previously invested in both Zynga and Harmonix. It also featured a contribution from one new angel investor, Buddy Media CEO Mike Lazerow, bringing Nix Hydra's lifetime funding to $5.6 million.

"Having spent a significant time in the gaming space serving on the boards of Zynga and Harmonix, I can say first-hand that there aren't enough companies focused on creating apps and games for young women - and even fewer that are run by women," said Brad Field, managing director of the Foundry Group, in a statement. "Nix Hydra changes that."

Field is referring to Lina Chen and Naomi Ladizinsky, who founded Nix Hydra in Los Angeles, California in 2012. The company's first game, Egg Baby, was downloaded 9 million times without a single cent invested in marketing. The new funding will enable Chen and Ladizinsky to push the Egg Baby brand even further, and create new IP aimed at the underserved young female market.

Nix Hydra currently employs ten people full-time, but Chen added that it is, "hiring in a variety of fields, and we encourage any talented people who are interested in making games for a predominantly female fan base to join our spirited, diverse team."