Mobile recommendations startup Rummble raised $800,000 from m8 Capital to grow its arsenal of apps that record and match people's tastes and preferences.
On the surface, Rummble resembles other location-based apps which offer users the chance to check in at venues, like Foursquare and Gowalla from the U.S. It even started aggregating their check-ins earlier this year.
But its cofounders say a powerful recommendation system underpins the service, matching your tastes with those of other people who happen to like the same types of venues. Founder and chief executive Andrew Scott says the service is like Google's PageRank algorithm for the physical world. That said, the experience of the app isn't nearly as slick as its American counterparts quite yet. Loading nearby places or what friends are up to can take a few seconds.
What's also interesting about the funding is that its m8's first investment. m8 is an affiliate of AGC Equity Partners and has partners and principals from Symbian and traditional investment banking and private equity backgrounds.
It will use the funding partly to establish a San Francisco office.