Minus, the US-based creator of anonymous messaging app MeowChat, has raised $12m in series A funding from investors including corporate-backed joint venture IDG-Accel, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
IDG-Accel, which was formed by media and data firm International Data Group and venture capital firm Accel Partners, was joined by SIG China, a subsidiary of trading company Susquehanna International Group, and venture capital firm Eniac Ventures, VC fund Social Starts and private investors.
Launched last year, MeowChat is a free messaging app that has accumulated more than 12 million users acrosss more than 170 countries.
The app works in a similar way to an online chatroom, allowing users to create profiles which are then matched with similar users for conversation.
Following the round, Minus will focus on simplifying and developing the app, adding additional features such as games. IDG Capital Partners, IDG’s China-based corporate venturing subsidiary, provided $1m in seed funding for Minus in 2011.
Carl Hu, co-founder of Minus, said: “Chat apps are super-efficient for talking with your friends, but we think the future is about providing experiences where we bring social complexity through group chat and randomness.”