Database and marketing company TRA, backed by the corporate venturing unit of US-based chip-maker Intel, UK-based communications group WPP as well as New York-listed media and marketing research company Arbitron, has sold to Nasdaq-listed Tivo for about $20m.
In 2010 Intel Capital became a third strategic backing TRA. It invested $10m as part of TRA’s $18.2m series C round.
Its investment came from the $200m Intel Capital Invest in America Technology Fund started to back US-based, growth-oriented industries.
The remaining $8.2m in TRA’s series C round came from returning strategic investors Arbitron and WPP.
The two strategics had invested in TRA’s $13.5m series B round in May 2009, along with US-based venture capital firm Kodiak Venture Partners.
WPP and Kodiak, along with media angel investors, had provided undisclosed seed money to TRA at its launch in August 2007.