Skimlinks Raises Growth Funding Led by Greycroft Partners, Opens Japanese Site

Skimlinks, the platform which effectively gives publishers control over affiliate links and content monetization, has completed a growth financing round led by Greycroft Partners. Joining the round are Japan-based angel investors, Hiro Maeda and Ryota Matsuzaki, as well as Forum Foundry, a Texas-based network of blog and forum communities. The amount raised was undisclosed. Existing investors also participated in the round. The capital will be used to develop its content monetization platform and expand across the US, Asia, and Europe. In particular Skimlinks opens its Japanese site, although a full office is still in the works.

Skimlinks CEO and Co-founder, Alicia Navarro told me: “This is not a ‘C-round of funding as such, since we’re a revenue generating business, but it’s more about having a bit of extra capital, bringing in a great and relevant VC and our international expansion… By bringing on Greycroft, we can tap their vast industry knowledge and contacts to further cement our position as the leaders in content monetization.”

She noted that their new Japanese investors also have deep contacts in the online advertising space.

New York-based Greycroft Partners is best known as being a VC which has made multiple bets on advertising technology and online publishing startups such as Buddy Media, Collective, Klout and Huffington Post, amongst others. Ian Sigalow, Co-Founder and Partner at Greycroft Partners, will join the Skimlinks Board of Directors.

In a statement Sigalow said: “Hyperlinks are the core building block of the Internet and… Skimlinks pioneered the concept of optimizing hyperlinks to create more revenue for publishers, and today the company is a leading Internet utility. This year, Skimlinks will be responsible for over $500 million of e-commerce sales globally. They are the most effective way for publishers to link content to commerce.”

Skimlinks says it is generating seven-figures in revenue monthly from its network of 140,000 active publishers, and has grown 100-200% year-over-year for four consecutive years.

Headquartered in London, Skimlinks has 55 employees with additional offices in San Francisco and New York. The company will expand operations to Asia this year.