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There’s plenty of cash to be made in the world of open-source software — but you’ll have to read today’s funding news to find out how.
Elasticsearch now measures around 500,000 downloads of its eponymous data search and analytics software each month, according to the company. But because it’s all open-source, those downloads don’t earn Elasticsearch a single cent.
That didn’t stop several big-name VC firms from pouring $70 million into the 18-month-old startup today. New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Benchmark Capital, and Index Ventures dig Elasticsearch’s products, which the company monetizes primarily via support subscriptions.
Like so many products today, Elasticsearch’s software helps enterprises make sense of their data. There are a lot of moving parts, but the main feature is the search engine, which enables companies to search through all types of data: social data, credit card data, bank trades, product info, and more.
Read more on VentureBeat: Elasticsearch’s $70M round proves there’s big money in free software
Someone in the data-protection space is having a really good day — new funding and an acquisition.
That someone is Infrascale, which announced today that it has raised $16.3 million in a second round of institutional funding. Also, it has acquired Eversync Solutions, a provider of cloud-connected, onsite data protection appliances, for an undisclosed amount.
Infrascale provides backup, disaster recovery, archive, and collaboration with military-grade security, and its platform runs from 11 data centers on five continents. It offers private cloud, public cloud, and hybrid computing environments and will now support more or less any operating system. The combination of Infrascale and Eversync’s technologies will mean data protection across mobile devices, workstations, and both physical and virtual servers.
Read more on VentureBeat: Data protection company Infrascale acquires new funding & a new company
The age of tablet gaming has arrived, and Super Evil Megacorp is ready for it. The tablet-gaming startup is announcing a $15 million round and the hiring of Kristian Segerstrale, a former Electronic Arts digital games executive, as its chief operating officer. It is also pulling back the veil on its first game, Vain Glory, a tablet-based multiplayer online battle arena title (MOBA), a type of strategy game.
The funding, which includes a new $11.6 million round, comes from new investors General Catalyst and Raine Ventures. Earlier round investors include Rick Thompson and his team at Signia Venture Partners, Clinton Foy and his team at CrossCut Ventures, Initial Capital, ZhenFund, and other angel investors. The money will enable Super Evil Megacorp to “relentlessly pursue its vision of a world where tablets are primary devices for core gamers,” said Bo Daly, the chief executive of the San Mateo, Calif.-based company.
Read more on VentureBeat: Super Evil Megacorp scores $15M and ex-EA exec Kristian Segerstrale as chief operating officer
German mobile game startup Flaregames has raised $12.2 million in venture funding from Accel Partners and T-Venture. This shows that the ante for participating in the fast-growing mobile game sector — which could be a $35 billion business by 2017 — is going up.
Karlsruhe, Germany-based Flaregames was founded in 2011 by Klaas Kersting, the founder of online game publisher Gameforge. The company is focusing on creating games for mobile devices. Those are so-called “mid-core” games whose subject matter or mechanics appeal to hardcore gamers but have shorter playtime cycles than traditional console or PC games.
Read more on VentureBeat: Germany’s Flaregames raises $12.2M for free-to-play mobile games
Shipping is that part of life that no one really looks forward to or wants to spend time thinking about — even companies like Shyp have sprung up to save people from even having to touch an item they want to ship.
Spanish company PackLink is getting in on that game, and today it’s announcing that it has raised $9 million in a second round of institutional funding. Accel Partners led the round, with additional contribution from current investor Active Venture Partners.
Read more on VentureBeat: PackLink gets $9M to cut down the time you’re spending thinking about shipping
German-based social investment site Wikifolio today announced a €6 million funding round (approximately $8.19 million) led by early-stage Austrian VC fund Speedinvest.
According to the startup’s official release, Wikifolio plans to use the new funds to expand “in selected countries in the coming months.” Wikifolio also shares that it broke even in the first quarter of 2014.
Learn more on the Wikifolio site.
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