US-based Closely, the provider of a digital marketing platform known as Perch that tailors reviews, real-time promotions and social media news for small business owners and their competitors in one place, has raised $3m in series A funding.
Grotech Ventures led the round, with Comcast Ventures, the corporate venture unit owned by media company Comcast, Steadfast Venture Capital and CNF Investments all participating. The investment will be used to enhance Perch and to provide better support for small businesses in North America.
Joe Zell, general partner for Grotech Ventures said: “The team at Closely is addressing a universal challenge for marketing tech providers and that is simply that no one is getting the attention of [small-to medium-sized businesses].”
The startup’s first free app is used by 35,000 small business owners and brings together the latest data from sources including Facebook, Twitter, Living Social, Yelp, Groupon, Google+, Instagram and Foursquare. It also allows users to watch and learn from their local marketplace and competitors with its ‘watch list’.
Closely was founded in 2009 and had previously raised $3.6m in equity and $400,000 in debt financing from undisclosed backers.