$4 Million

Wikipedia Offshoot Wikia Raises $4 Million in First Round

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 28, 2006 - 10:36am.

St. Petersburg, Fla. - Wikia, a provider of advertising-supported platforms for developing and hosting online communities, has raised $4 million in its first round of venture capital, led by Bessemer Venture Partners. Previously called Wikicities, Florida-based Wikia allows online groups to share information, news, stories, media and opinions. The company was launched in 2004 by Angela Beesley and Jimmy Wales, who previously founded Wikipedia, the free, "open source," online encyclopedia. Both Wales and Beesley serve as board members of the Wikimedia Foundation.

Wikipedia Offshoot Wikia Raises $4 Million in First Round

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 23, 2006 - 3:07am.

St. Petersburg, Fla. - Wikia, a provider of free online content hosting and licensing services, has raised $4 million in its first round of venture capital, led by Bessemer Venture Partners, Private Equity Week reported, citing a regulatory filing. Wikia was founded in 2004, originally as a project to create a search engine. The company subsequently expanded with Wikicities, with the aim of creating freely hosted, advertising-supported "wiki communities."

Swedish Virtual Paper Doll Makeover Site Stardoll.com Raises $4 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 17, 2006 - 7:20am.

Stockholm, Sweden - Stardoll.com, a website aimed at girls that lets them makeover and dress paper doll versions of celebrities in various clothing and accessories, announced that it has raised $4 million in its first round of venture capital financing. Index Ventures led the investment round; angel investors also participated. Launched in 2004 by a 50-year-old retired Scandinavian woman, Stockholm-based Stardoll.com (formerly Paperdoll Heaven) now claims 900,000 members. The company also said it named Mattias Miksche, founder and CEO of E-trade in Germany and Scandinavia, as its new CEO.