Mail.com, which operates an email service, web portal and related content sites, just announced that it raised $35 million back in September.
The Los Angeles-based company seems to have built its business in a number of only-somewhat-related areas. In its press release, Mail.com seems to focus on its free email service, which has 2 million users. The big selling point against more established services like Yahoo Mail and Gmail is the option to choose from 400 custom emails addresses -- popular choices include usa.com, techie.com and consultant.com. (Me, I'm going for elvisfan.com.)
Presumably, that also means popular email addresses are less likely to be taken already, and you don't have to settle for a obscure address (anthonyha1983100@mail.com, for example). Yahoo addressed a similar problem by allowing users to have ymail.com and rocketmail.com addresses.
How does that connect to Mail.com's other business of operating sites like HollywoodLife and OnCars.com? And why would an ad-driven startup seem worthy of a sizable investment during an economic downturn, particularly as venture backing of web companies declines? I'm not sure. The round was led by Quadrangle Capital Partners, an affiliate of the Quadrangle Group. I've emailed the firm for comment, and will update if I hear back. The fact that Mail.com is profitable probably doesn't hurt.
Mail.com says it was founded in the late 1990s, then relaunched in 2007 by founder and current chief executive Jay Penske. The funding was announced today, but socalTech spotted the info beforehand, in the MoneyTree report from PricewaterhouseCoopers and the National Venture Capital Association.