Kiip, the rewards-based network co-founded by former Digg employees Brian Wong, Courtney Guertin and Sequence’s Amadeus Demarzi, has just arrived on mobile. And here’s a surprise – the company went Android-first with the new app. But the iOS app is in the works, and is only “a few days away” from launch, so chalk this one up to coincidental timing rather than mobile strategy.
With the new app, you’ll be able to track and redeem your rewards earned on Kiip, as well as access a list of games and apps which support the platform.
For those unfamiliar, the big idea behind Kiip (pronounced “keep”), launched back in summer 2011, is to provide real-world rewards for the achievements earned within mobile games. Instead of just getting points or badges, for example, brands get to associate themselves with a player’s momentary euphoria that comes from beating a particularly challenging level, boss, or when they complete another gaming milestone.
At launch, the network debuted with rewards in over 15 games, reaching 12 million monthly active users. By March, when the company revealed its self-serve platform for developers, it had grown to 140 apps and 30 million users, with promises of over 100 more apps in the pipeline. And as funding rumors swirled in June, the network was available in some 400 apps on iOS and Android, and its ad inventory was served within 100 million “moments” every month within the U.S. The company says that today, there are 40 brands participating in those 400+ apps.
Kiip tells us, too, that it now doles out an average of 5 rewards per second, reaching over 40 million users – that’s the same rate of rewards as seen in March, but a much larger user base. Also, it seems users are increasingly comfortable with engaging with the platform. In March, 12% would initially fill out the form for the reward, and now 18%-22% do. There’s also a 50% re-engagement rate at present, which is more than decent.
Kiip has the potential to expand beyond mobile gaming to other apps that also want to engage users in new ways, whether that’s offering them a freebie for being a regular user, a coupon associated with the app’s brand or category, or any other sort of reward.
The company just closed an $11 million Series B round this month, from Relay Ventures, with participation from previous investors Hummer Winblad Venture Partners and True Ventures, confirming the earlier reports that the company was raising. With the new funding, the company plans to expand beyond gaming, as well as grow its reach both in terms of its own brand as well as its international presence.
As for the iOS app, it’s in the Apple approval process queue and will be available shortly.