UK-based mobile company Vodafone Group’s corporate venturing unit, Vodafone Ventures, has led a $8.3m round of funding into Jibe Mobile, a developer of a cloud-based platform that will help mobile developers integrate new telecom standards Joyn and RCS 5. Also involved were Tokyo-based gaming company MTI and other undisclosed investors.
Founded in 2005, Jibe previously raised $800k from an angel investment in 2007.
Amir Sarhangi, Jibe co-founder and chief executive, said: “There is no doubt that rich communications is becoming an increasingly important part of the consumer mobile experience. Jibe’s mission is to make carrier-grade communications simple and accessible for the global market, in-app communication increases user engagement and creates new monetization opportunities for developers. The investments from Vodafone and MTI will help us continue to innovate and extend our platform.”