Friday, 27 March 2009 13:39
Templar's Blog
| VIRTUAL WORLDS INVESTMENTS IN 2008 | Q1 2008 |  |  |  |  | | Company | Segment | Amount | Named Investors | News Story | | 9You | Virtual World/Casual Games | $100,000,000 | Temasek Holdings | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/03/9you-gets-100m.html | | C3L3B Digital | Stealth | $3,000,000 (may have totalled $4m) | BlueRun Ventures | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/01/c3l3b-digital-g.html | | Chapatiz | Youth World | $530,000 | Angel Investors | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/03/french-virtual.html | | Dizzywood | Youth World | $1,000,000 | Shelby Bonnie and Charles Rivers Ventures | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/02/dizzywood-gets.html | | EveryScape | Mirror World | $7,000,000 | Dace Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Draper Fisher New England, Draper Atlantic and LaunchPad Venture Group | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/03/interview-every.html | | Fix8 | Avatar Content | $2,000,000 | SK Telecom | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/04/fix8-announces.html | | FlowPlay | Youth World | $3,700,000 | Intel Capital and Ambient Sound Investments | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/02/casual-game-wor.html | | Fluid Entertainment | Youth World | $3,200,000 | Trinity Ventures | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/03/fluid-entertain.html | | Gaia Online | Youth World | Undisclosed, part of a $12M round | Time Warner | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/01/time-warner-inv.html | | Gizmoz | Avatar Creation | $6,500,000 | DoCoMo Capital, Inc., and ngi group, inc. | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/03/avatar-company.html | | Handipoints | Youth World | 800,000 | Charles Rivers Ventures and Angel Investors | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/03/handipoints-rec.html | | IGA Worldwide | Advertising Network | Almost $5,000,000 | Translink Capital, Presidio STX, LLC (a subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation), and ITOCHU Corporation | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/01/iga-gets-5m-fro.html | | IGG, Inc. | MMORPG Provider | $4,500,000 | IDG Technology Venture Investment | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/01/igg-gets-45mm-i.html#more | | iOpener | Mixed Reality | $6,000,000 | Triangle Venture Capital | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/02/iopener-gets-6m.html | | Kadoink | Middleware | $7,000,000 | Sutter Hill Ventures | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/01/telephony-and-w.html | | Metaversum | Mirror World | "a significant multi-million-Euro investment" | Balderton Capital | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/04/metaversum-take.html | | Numedeon | Portfolio of Virtual Worlds | Approximately $1,000,000 | BankInter's Venture Capitol Group and Angel Investors | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/04/numedeon-closin.html | | Outspark | Publisher and Operator | $11,000,000 | Tencent Holdings, DCM, and Altos Ventures | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/01/outspark-raises.html | | ROCKETON | Youth World | $5,800,000 | D. E. Shaw Group | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/02/rocketon-draws.html | | Simmersion Holdings | Platform | 1,900,000 | Blue Cove Ventures | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/03/simmersion-hold.html | | Sparkplay Media | Casual MMO/World with Games | $4,250,000 | Redpoint Ventures and Prism Ventureworks | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/02/sparkplay-gets.html | | Unisfair | Virtual Events Platform | $10,000,000 | Norwest Venture Partners and Sequoia Capital | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/01/unisfair-gets-1.html | | YOOWALK | Adult World | Undisclosed | CITA Gestion and Angel Investors | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/02/cita-gestion-in.html | | | | | | | | | TOTAL: | $184,180,000 | | | | |  |  |  |  |  | | Q2 2008 |  |  |  |  | | Company | Segment | Amount | Named Investors | More info | | 8D World | Virtual world  platform developer | $1 million+ | Spark Capital | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/06/8d-world-receiv.html | | Akoha | Social game? | $1.9 million | Angel investors | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/04/akoha-gets-19m.html | | GirlSense.com | Fashion Virtual World | Unknown Acquisition | IAC | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/05/iac-acquires-gi.html | | GoFish | Ad/media network | $1.5 million | none | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/04/gofish-gets-15m.html | | Grockit | MMO Learning Game | $8 million | Integral Capital and Benchmark Capital | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/05/grockit-gets-8m.html | | Metaverse Mod Squad | Virtual World Support | $200,000+ | Angel investors | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/06/metaverse-mod-s.html | | ngi group | Solutions provider, platform devloper | $15.7 million | NTT | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/06/ntt-investing-1.html | | Novint | 3D controllers/peripherals | $5.2 million | | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/06/novint-gets-52m.html | | Nurien Software | 3D social networking | $15 million | Northern Light Venture Capital, Globespan Capital Partners, New Enterprise Associates, and QiMing Venture Partners | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/04/nurien-gets-15m.html | | PixVerse | Virtual World Platform Developer | Unknown Acquisition | hi5 | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/07/hi5-acquires-pi.html | | PlayFish | Casual Games/Virtual Wolrds | $1 million | Accel Partners | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/07/playfish-gets-1.html | | PrimeSense | Gestural Interface | $20.4 million | Led by Canaan Partners with participation from existing investors Gemini Israel Funds (who also provided the seed funding) and Genesis Partners | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/05/prime-sense-get.html | | Realtime Worlds | MMOG Developer | $50 million | led by Maverick Capital with participation from previous investor New Enterprise Associates and new investor WPP | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/04/realtime-worlds.html | | Seasky | MMOG | $3 million | Perfect World | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/04/perfect-world-i.html | | Stanford Parallel Processing Lab | Parallel Processing for Virtual Worlds | $6 million | Sun Microsystems, AMD, Nvidia, IBM, HP, and Intel | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/05/stanford-gets-6.html | | Turbine | MMOG | $40 million | Led by Time Warner Inc. and GGV Capital with participation from existing investors, Highland Capital Partners, Polaris Venture Partners, Tudor Ventures and Columbia Capital | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/06/turbine-finishe.html | | | | |  |  |  |  |  | | Q3 2008 |  |  |  |  | | Company | Segment | Amount | Named Investors | More info | | Gaia Online | Teen and Young Adult World | $11 million | Institutional Venture Partners | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/07/gaia-online-get.html | | Heatwave Interactive | Online game developer | $7.5 million | Syncom Venture Partners | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/07/heatwave-intera.html | | Hollywood Interactive Group | Celebrity-themed virtual world for women | $5 million ($2M of which were previously reported) | BlueRun Ventures | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/09/hollywood-inter.html | | Knowledge Adventure | Kids educational worlds | $5 million | Led by Azure Capital and TeleSoft Partners | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/08/knowledge-adven.html | | MindFuse | Casual MMO/Virtual World | $1 million convertible note | Angel investor group Keiretsu Forum | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/10/mindfuse-raises.html | | Monte Cristo Games | Mirror world/online game | $7 million | Arts Alliance, 360 Capital Partners, and Innoven Partenaires | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/07/monte-cristo-ga.html | | ON24 | Virtual events | $8 million+ | Part of an equity capital round led byU.S. Venture Partners, Canaan Partners, and Rho Ventures as well as an expansion capital round led by Gold Hill Capital | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/07/on24-gets-8m-in.html | | RobotGalaxy | Kids toy-based world | $5 million+ | Private placement | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/09/robotgalaxy-get.html | | Six Degrees Games | Tween sports-themed world | $7 million | Led by Prism VentureWorks and Clearstone Venture Partners | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/08/six-degrees-gam.html | | Taatu | Teen and Young Adult World | $2.64 million | BAMS Angels Fund with participation from international professionals in association
with the original investors Genesis Technology, Madian and SF Investments | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/10/taatu-announces.html | | Trion | MMO publisher | $70 million | Co-led by an unnamed large global financial institution and Act II Capital with participation from all previous investors, including first-round participants DCM and Trinity Ventures, and B-round investors Rustic Canyon, Time Warner, Peacock Equity, and Bertelsmann | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/09/trion-gets-70m.html | | Ukash | Payment methods (used in virtual worlds and elsewhere) | Approximately $14.4 million | Blue Label Telecoms (via subsidiary Gold Label Investments) and DataCash | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/09/ukash-gets-inve.html | | Virtual Tweens | Tween Green-themed World | $1 million | Private investors | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/10/ekoloko-launchi.html | | Webcarrz | Flash-based virtual world developer in stealth mode | $4 million | Meakem Becker Venture Capital | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/08/webcarzz-gets-4.html | | YoVille | Virtual world on Facebook | Undisclosed acquisition | Zynga | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/07/zynga-aquires-f.html | | | | | | | | | Total | $148.54 million | | | | |  |  |  |  |  | | Q4 2008 |  |  |  |  | | Company | Segment | Amount | Named Investors | More info | | Playdo | Youth Casual MMO | About $4.3 million | Miniclip Ltd. and Northzone Ventures | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/12/playdo-gets-43m-from-miniclip-and-northzone.html | | FooMojo | Virtual Pets/Virtual World | $9.9 million | SoftBank Capital and SoftBank Corp | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/12/foomojo-closes-99-million-in-series-a.html | | GoFish | Advertising | $22.5 million | Led by Panorama Capital, Rustic Canyon Partners and Rembrandt Venture Partners | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/12/gofish-gets-225m-in-financing.html | | IGG | Casual MMO | $10 million | Led by the Vertex Group and joined by Hearst Interactive Media and IDGVC | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/12/igg-raises-over-10m.html | | Machinima.com | Machinima | $3.85 million | MK Capital | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/11/machinimacom-gets-385m-from-mk-capital.html | | Metaplace | Virtual World Platform | $6.7 million | Charles River Ventures, Crescendo Ventures,  Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/10/metaplace-raises-67m.html | | Playfish | Social games for networks, MMOs, and virtual worlds | $17 million | Accel Partners and Index Ventures | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/10/playfish-raises-17m-for-social-games.html | | PlaySpan | Virtual Goods Marketplace | $16.8 million | Easton Capital Group, Menlo Ventures, Novel TMT Ventures, and STIC | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/11/playspan-raises-168m-in-series-b.html | | Second Interest | Virtual World Developer | $500 thousand | Angels | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/10/second-interest.html | | Sun Inc. | Virtual World Development | $1.847 million | ngi group | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/11/sun-inc-files-for-bankruptcy-ngi-invested-185m-last-month.html | | TwoFish | Virtual goods and economies | $4.5 million | TriplePoint Capital, Rustic Canyon, and Venrock | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/10/twofish-gets-45.html | | Wix.com | Flash Tool/Virtual World Developer | $3.5 million | Mangrove Venture Capital and Bessemer Venture Partners | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/10/wixcom-gets-35.html | | Worlds.com | Virtual World Platform | $481 thousand | private placement | http://www.virtualworldsnews.com/2008/11/worldscom-raises-481k-in-private-placement.html | |  | TOTAL | $101,878,000 |  |  | |  TOTAL FOR 2008:                                           $595,598,000
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