Irish startup Cleverbug raises €4.4 million in funding

Irish firm Cleverbug has raised €4.4 million in funding, clearing the way for the company to expand its operations further.

The company will use the cash to build on its current services, which include social gifting and personalised printed cards. Customers can create the cards and send them anywhere in the world. The service uses algorithms that use Facebook connections to offer a personalised gallery of cards and designs that are based on social relationships and user behaviours.

The latest round of funding was led by Delta Partners and brings to €6 million the total amount raised by the company to date.

"We are very impressed with the outstanding work by the Cleverbug team in bringing a much-loved product to the market, and the overall red-hot social gifting category," said Maurice Roche of Delta Partners.

Chief executive Kealan Lennon said the investment was a vote of confidence in the firm.

“It’s a good opportunity,” he said. “They’re getting into a space that covers ecommerce, mobile and social. And it’s a real-world product, it’s tangible. It ticks a lot of boxes. “

Cleverbug launched its services a year ago, starting out as a birthday card app for the iPhone, and has now increased its offering to include cards for other major holidays and US events. However, it has been in development for two years prior to launch, with Cleverbug building up its infrastructure

The Clevercards app is now available on Google’s Android platform, iOS and online, and has been downloaded in more than 150 countries. Users connect their social networks to the app, and can also manually load family and friends into it to

The company already has plans to add to its staff numbers, with 25 jobs promised in the coming year. The majority of these jobs will be in Ireland, with some in the US Kealan Lennon said.

Cleverbug is already exploring opportunities for partnerships with companies that have a user base but want to monetise it.