A competitor to free phone directory assistance services offered by Microsoft and Google, Menlo Park’s Jingle Networks runs 1-800-Free-411, one of the most popular in the category.
We’ve written about Jingle before. Back in 2006, we reported that it had just taken $30 million with a $150+ million valuation, driven by advertising played back to callers.
In the interim, the company has grown from a base of some 200 advertisers to over 50,000, according to the Investor’s Business Daily. However, most reports suggest that the audience for free 411 services is growing more slowly.
The $13 million funding was provided by Goldman Sachs, IDG Ventures Boston, Liberty Associated Partners and First Round Capital, according to a regulatory funding dug up by peHUB. Jingle has raised $73 million to date.
Tags: co:jingle-networks, inv:first-round-capital, inv:Goldman-Sachs, inv:IDG-Ventures-Boston, inv:liberty-associated-partnersOne Comment
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derham said:
Odd that while Jingle’s been doing this for years, everyone acts like it’s suddenly the newest huge thing once Google jumps on the bandwagon (and only providing business numbers to boot), even if the recognition is spottier than free411’s and it doesn’t provide live tech support. I guess there is benefit to being silicon valley’s darling.
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4:54 am
evans ink » Blog Archive » free 411 street view said:
[...] Investor’s Business Daily does an update story on the progress of free 411 services. Not a lot of new news, but it appears the story may have been triggered by an otherwise unannounced $13M C-1 incremental tranche of financing for Jingle Networks, as noted today in Venture Beat. [...]