Ganji.com, a China-based online classified advertisements provider, has raised a round led by Nokia Growth Partners, the corporate venturing unit of the eponymous Finland-based mobile phone maker, along with venture capital firm BlueRun Ventures.
Founded in 2005, Ganji has now raised close to $20m.
Paul Asel, managing partner at Nokia Growth Partners and head of its China team, said: "Ganji is a robust online classified advertisements platform in China, providing local information and services addressing every day, real life needs. With the expansion of China’s 3G [third generation phone] network and the advent of next generation smartphones, we believe that location-based services will soon be a vital part of the mobile user experience in China."
Jui Tan, a partner at BlueRun, an investor in the company since its inception, added: "More Chinese consumers are using the internet to help with their daily life, like renting a house, buying a cheaper second hand item, finding a part time job or even looking for a pet."
BlueRun spun off from Nokia in 2005 but retains the phone maker as a limited partner in its funds to do earlier stage deals, while Nokia Growth Partners targets later-stage investments with a $250m fund and also manages $100m in fund of venture capital funds.