PALO ALTO — Branch, a cross-platform solution for mobile linking and attribution, has raised $300 million in new funding giving the company a $4 billion valuation, led by existing investor NEA.
Branch, which has over 500 employees and 16 offices around the globe, has been used by more than 100,000 mobile brands since its founding in 2014, directly reaching more than 3 billion monthly users around the world. Customers include Adobe, BuzzFeed, Yelp and more.
“We spend more than a third of our waking hours on our phones, with over 90% of that time spent in apps,” said Alex Austin, CEO of Branch. “Despite this, many apps are struggling to survive as they contend with changes in the mobile ecosystem, from privacy changes like ATT to the explosion of new device types. Branch is committed to helping companies overcome these new ecosystem challenges by expanding our product offerings to reflect this new normal, while still maintaining our commitment to user privacy.”
Branch is using its new financing to double down on product investments, including:
- Expanding its mobile linking platform (MLP) to help brands unlock new ways to grow through owned and organic channels, as well as better integrate mobile as cross-device and offline-to-online crossover experiences become the norm
- Growing its mobile measurement partner (MMP) solutions for paid media, providing customers with privacy-first measurement that navigates mobile advertising in a post-IDFA world
- Accelerating its research into new solutions to improve app discovery and move the mobile ecosystem forward
“Since the day I met Alex, Mike, Mada and Dmitri during the seed investment, I knew this company would be something special,” said Scott Sandell, Managing General Partner at NEA. “They laid out a huge vision to transform the mobile ecosystem, and it’s been exhilarating to watch it all come true. This is a generational company in the making.”