Vanity phone number provider Zoove is today announcing it has raised an additional investment of $5 million from Rogers Ventures to help it further accelerate its U.S. operations. The startup is the exclusive provider of “StarStar numbers” (e.g. **FLOWERS) for the four largest mobile operators in the United States, reaching over 250 million consumers.
Mike Lee, VP of Roger Ventures, the venture capital arm of Canada’s Rogers Communications, will also be joining Zoove’s Board of Directors as a part of this deal.
StarStar numbers, which are maintained in the Zoove-powered National StarStar Registry, let consumers dial a company more easily than with traditional numbers and without an additional fee. Recently, StarStar numbers have been used in promotions from the NFL (**NFL), Simon’s Cowell’s X-Factor (**XF) and EA’s new Madden game (**MADDEN). After the consumer places the call, they will typically receive a text message or voicemail prompting them to opt in to engage further by viewing websites, downloading apps, downlading coupons, etc. The participating brands pay Zoove an annual fee for their number which varies based on length and scarcity of the number.
This current round brings Zoove’s total funding to $20 million. It had previously raised $15 million in Series D this August. That round was led by new investor Panorama Capital, plus existing investors Cardinal Venture Capital, Highland Capital Partners and Worldview Technology Partners.
Below, a TV commercial featuring a StarStar number for the NFL:
Zoove operates a national directory of vanity mobile phone numbers, called StarStar Numbers, that lets brands easily connect with people – anytime, anywhere, on any mobile phone. Zoove is the exclusive national administrator of StarStar Numbers for the largest wireless operators in the United States, serving more than 250 million people. With StarStar Numbers, consumers simply call the name of the brand they see being promoted (e.g. **BRAND). Instantly, they can be pushed that brand’s mobile app, Web page, coupon,...
Austin, TX
Seattle, WA
San Diego, CA
Menlo Park, CA
San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
