Human-based search engine ChaCha seeks $30M, raises $11M

January 26, 2009 | Camille Ricketts | Comments | |

[Update: ChaCha has confirmed since I first posted that it has successfully raised the full $30 million. Thanks to Robin Wauters at TechCrunch.]

Human-powered search engine ChaCha just brought in $11 million of an expected $30 million third round of funding, according to peHUB. It’s assumed, based on the filing, that the round came from existing investors, potentially including private investor Morton Meyerson, Bezos Expeditions, Compaq Computer cofounder Rod Canion and Maven Ventures partner Jack Gill. At least those are the names that kicked in a previous $14 million in venture backing, not including a $2 million grant from 21st Century Technology Fund.

The idea behind ChaCha is basically that any mobile user can text a query (ranging from local restaurant recommendations to random trivia) to the service and get a quick SMS response from someone else out there in the ether who might know the answer. Right now, it’s the major player in the mobile Q&A space, with fledgling competitors recently launched by Mohalo and Answerly, reports Tech Crunch.

VentureBeat reviewed the company here (scroll down) and the company’s initial round of $6 million in capital here.

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About the Author, Camille Ricketts

Camille is the lead writer for GreenBeat. She came to VentureBeat from Google where she worked on its traditional platforms team, particularly in TV. Before that, she was a reporter for the Wall Street Journal in New York and London. Follow her on Twitter at @camillericketts, and follow VentureBeat on Twitter at @venturebeat.

With GreenBeat 2009, VentureBeat's all-star conference on all things Smart Grid, coming up in November, Camille will be expanding coverage of this exciting space. Stay up to date by following @greenbeat2009 on Twitter or by becoming a fan of the event on Facebook here.

  • Hi Camille,

    Thanks for the link. The company has since confirmed that they actually closed the $30 million Series C round a while ago.

    Post is updated:

    http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/01/26/wow-chacha...
  • Case
    Amazing, they pulli in 30 MIL and cut guide pay and service quality almost immediately after. Are we sure this business isn't heading into freefall making it's bread and butter as a free teen age sex question answering service?
  • Guiding Light
    ChaCha will answer virtually anything - -- I guide, so I know. We answer teenage stuff, but all kinds of things about the economy, current events. Its fun guiding because you get a sense of what's going on in the minds of people.

    I hope they do well because its such a great service. Ads are getting more relevant and valuable too.