By Monica Alleven
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
IceBreaker, based in Bellevue, Wash., secured $7.2 million in financing co-led by Frazier Technology Ventures and existing investor Lightspeed Venture Partners.
The company plans to use the funds to drive consumer marketing, new product development and expand its Beijing research and development office, says Josh Levine, vice president of marketing.
IceBreaker already is seeing a big uptake for its Crush or Flush mobile social networking application, which has garnered more than 150,000 registered users since it launched in January. Nearly 100% of members visit the service through their cell phones. The service is available as an off-portal app and also on the decks of Alltel Wireless, Boost Mobile, Leap Wireless International and Virgin Mobile USA.
The WAP-based application provides a way to flirt, chat and meet people with similar interests from their cell phones or PCs. Users who like someone can "crush" them, or show them that they are interested and have a crush, while users who aren't interested in someone can "flush" them. Users don't know if or when they've been "flushed," so there are no hard feelings.
IceBreaker originally was going to incorporate location-based services (LBS) in the application but feedback from members showed that while they were interested in seeing someone else's location, they didn't want their own location revealed, according to Levine.
IceBreaker, founded in 2005, isn't strictly about dating or hooking-up types of services. The company basically wants to create software for the mobile environment that's engaging and easy to use, Levine says. Some of its recent round of funding will go toward developing those other products.
Meanwhile, cell phone users can send a text message to 27874 and get information on the Crush or Flush service. The service is free; the company is reviewing various revenue models.