We learned last week that mobile app marketing platform Fiksu Inc. [1], Boston, has raised $10 million in Series B financing led by Qualcomm Ventures [2], San Diego, a new investor, and from returning investor Charles River Ventures [3], Cambridge, Massa chusetts.
[4]This is being added to Fiksu’s earler funding of $7.8 million to further accelerate the company’s growth, particularly in Europe and the Asia-Pacific regions, in addition to driving strategic partnerships with agencies and brands.
Fiksu has two major products: Fiksu for Mobile Apps, which identifies an app’s frequent users and targets them to maximize their value as consumers most likely to spend money on it; and FreeMyApps, which gives away paid apps in exchange for trying out other apps.
“Fiksu is hyper-focused on using our outstanding and innovative technology to deliver the best app marketing solution for advertisers,” says Micah Adler, founder and CEO of Fiksu.
Fiksu for Mobile Apps is used by leading brands to overcome the complex and expensive challenge of promoting iOS and Android mobile apps. Fiksu increases ROI by cost-effectively delivering large volumes of loyal users – those who return repeatedly to an app, engage and are most likely to monetize.
Fiksu’s mobile media optimization platform extends a global footprint and targets across all significant channels, including real-time bidding exchanges, traditional mobile ad networks, the mobile web, social networks, video, email and SMS.
“Fiksu occupies a significant leadership position in the industry through an unparalleled commitment to developing a marketing platform with the smartest optimization algorithms and industry-leading attribution techniques,” says Jon Auerbach, general partner, Charles River Ventures. Noting the rapid progress the company has made, he says, “From unknown in 2011 to the epicenter of mobile marketing today, we will undoubtedly see the company scale to new heights again this coming year.”
Built for predictability and scalability, Fiksu’s real-time bidding algorithms and optimization engine deliver high performing and large reach campaigns. It uses predictive algorithms to optimize mobile advertising campaigns in real time based on factors that include 225 billion potential iOS and Android smartphone ad impressions per month; Fiksu’s knowledge base of 30 billion post download in-app activities such as purchases and upgrades; and various other campaign variables such as traffic source, publishers, device, creative, organic uplift and country.
Fiksu also publishes monthly indexes that track the rate of free iPhone app downloads in the U.S. and the cost to developers of acquiring a loyal user.