May appeared to be a relatively normal month of funding until two heavy-hitters showed up right before the final bell. The number one spot shouldn't come as a surprise but take a look at the month's top five fundings:
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5. Quick.ly, $5.1 million, May 21
Investors: Not reported
Bio: Quickly is a new Idealab company that is in early stage development. They are exploring how to help people on mobile devices find what they are looking for faster and more efficiently.
News: After the funding, reports were released listing Quick.ly at a $11 million valuation
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4. Parachute, $5.45 million, May 27
Investors: Not reported
Bio: Parachute was imagined to offer premium quality bedding at an accessible price. The company's bedding is made of the finest long-staple Egyptian cotton, combed with precision, and dyed naturally.
News: The company has begun to expand its products, beginning with a new navy collection.
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3. MarketShare, $8 million, May 5
Investors: FTV Capital
Bio: MarketShare is an analytics company that enables businesses to grow efficiently by uncovering which actions really drive results. MarketShare has worked with more than half of the Fortune 100 companies.
News: MarketShare partnered with Acxiom to use LiveRamp’s data alongside their own analytics platform to link offline purchases with a brand’s digital advertising.
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2. GumGum, $26 million, May 28
Investors: Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital, NEA, Upfrot Ventures, First Round Capital, and others.
Bio: The company made its mark on the advertising industry by incorporating ads within images on company websites rather than the industry-standard isolated ad boxes.
News: GumGum CEO Ophir Tanz said the company will be focusing on a European expansion, beginning with a new office in London.
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1. Snapchat, $538 million, May 29
Investors: Alibaba, Fidelity, York Capital, Glade Brook Capital, and others.
Bio: An image sharing platform that allows you to share photos or videos with your friends for a select amount of time. The app also contains a news section and a publically controlled geo-tag feature.
News: It has been a busy month for CEO Evan Spiegel. They hired former CNN reporter Peter Hamby, expanded their Venice office space, announced new sharing features, created customized Snapcodes, and alluded to an IPO.
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