Rounds, a provider of instant group video chats on mobile, has closed a $12 million Series B round of funding led by Sequoia Capital, the sole investor in Whatsapp. Samsung Ventures also invested, together with capital partners such as Verizon Ventures and Rhodium, bringing Rounds' total fundraising to $22 million. The funds will accelerate the company’s growth and allow Rounds to further establish itself as a leader in the next generation of video chat communication.
Rounds todate has 25 million users worldwide, most of whom have joined within recent months while the app has increased in popularity, according to the company. The company added that within Rounds’ mobile app, users can enjoy interactive conversations with friends and family where they can play games, watch videos, share photos, and much more, while video chatting together.
Hyuk-Jeen Suh, head of Samsung Ventures East Coast
We invest in companies that are paving the way for their respective industries, and Rounds has quickly established itself as a pioneer in the video communications and entertainment space.
Dany Fishel, CEO and Co-founder of Rounds
We’re taking the fundamental communication elements that connect people - sharing experiences and doing stuff together - to disrupt the video communication space. Whether it’s laughing about a video, reminiscing over photos, or singing along to a song, we’re bringing instantaneous group video chatting to everyday activities. It’s our “do things together” DNA that makes the difference. We feel privileged to have brought on such strategic and powerful investors such as the leading venture capitalists and Whatsapp’s sole investor Sequoia Capital, the venture arm of the Samsung Group, Skype’s early investor and board member, Tim Draper, as well as Verizon Ventures and Rhodium to back us and serve as invaluable resources. With the pioneers of the mobile, consumer electronics and telecommunications space supporting our vision, we are taking the video communication space to where we believe it could and should be.
