Tumblr, a blogging software startup that ascribes to the philosophy that less is more, has raised $750,000 in Series A funding, according to Private Equity Hub. The money came from Spark Capital and Union Square Ventures, with Spark general partner Bijan Sabet joining Tumblr’s board.
Tumblr’s service, Tumblelogs, gives users pared-down tools to set up a personal web site where they can share and muse about what they find on the web or in the world. It doesn’t even have reader comments. You could think of it as a hybrid between Twitter and full-on blogging.
Full disclosure: Our investors at True Ventures have a stake in Automattic, which makes WordPress.com, on which the GigaOM Network runs.
10 comments so far
12:47 PM PT
can someone please explain to me why a simple site like this needs funding?
the owner will lose some of the control for 750k.
i would have just stuck it out for 3 months and maybe then considered funding.
1:03 PM PT
Looks like a new Tumblr version will be launched November fist?
1:26 PM PT
I have so many wishlist. and most of them turn out in ideas. I guess they easiest way to start a start-up is to go through your wishlist.
1:35 PM PT
Dhiren
that is a good way to think about the start-up process.
1:36 PM PT
mifi
i am guessing some of it is for growth, infrastructure and hiring few more coders. one can’t imagine it can be a one-person shop forever.
2:36 PM PT
mifi
you don’t know..it’s a service. its like a small fish in a ocean. You have to meet your expenses. Eat dinner when it is served. He did a wise thing by cashing out some of the stakes for decent money. Loko what happened to hot or not. Biggest aspiration for people like chad hurley and many. Still, conservative business sense made them stick to somewhat less lucrative offer.
11:13 PM PT
Actually, this is the only way to go. Take enough money, not too little and not too much.
I learnt this lesson the hard way when we were forced into such a situation at Lantern - capital efficiency is the only way for a startup.
At TellyTopia, we’ve taken a similar approach. We raised a seed round - bigger than these folks, but then we’re building a much more complex product. Bringing Television Youtopia takes a lot of effort…
7:20 AM PT
mifi, Tumblr is up and running for quite a while now. I have a tumblelog there and I must say their solution is sweet and they are doing a great job. They may not be as popular as Twitter, but I’m guessing that’s only because the concept of tumblelogs is not as fun as blogging or twittering.
It’s great news for me that they are getting some funds. I wish them only the best.
2:31 PM PT
[...] hope he’s right about this prediction: I would bet on a company like WordPress or perhaps Tumblr to come out with a simple tool that makes publishing profiles and updates easy, and that is [...]
5:10 PM PT
Tumblr rules. I just made a new Tumblr theme and its available for download @ SkyLite.Tumblr.com.
Come check it out and feel free to follow my tumble log @ chvnx.com
Leave a Comment