Mobile marketing services firm 5th Finger has won $7 million in funding to support its growth in the U.S. market.

The funding, from Australian venture capital firm Starfish Ventures, will help a company that works with advertisers and advertising agencies to develop targeted mobile marketing programs. 5th Finger has its origins in Australia.

“The really important thing for us is that we can now go and double our human capital,” said Campbell Corfe, CEO of 5th Finger, San Francisco.

“We currently have nearly 20 people heavily rooted in our Australian past,” he said. “We want to make that now 40.”

5th Finger specializes in mobile marketing campaigns and services for clients in fast-moving consumer goods, beverages, government, pharmaceuticals, retail, media and television and live events.

The company’s air-cast technology platform offers real-time reporting and analysis.

5th Finger clients include MSN Mobile, Nike, Amazon and Newline Cinema as well as agencies such as Cadient, Grey and Avenue A/Razorfish.

One of 5th Finger’s most recent projects was mobile marketing for the Live Earth Concert Series. The company handled SMS, Web and Green Button interactions for the worldwide Live Earth campaign.

That campaign resulted in more than 1 million lifestyle commitment pledges as part of the Live Earth project. 5th Finger managed the pledges, which were then broadcast across many channels and countries.

The 5th Finger team in the United States includes Mr. Corfe and fellow cofounders Steen Andersson, vice president of marketing; Warren Billington, vice president of sales for mobile marketing; Patrick Collins, vice president of engineering; Matthew Costello, vice president of strategy; and Luke Forman, vice president of media and events.

Starfish Ventures’ investment will also help 5th Finger evangelize mobile marketing.

“That will allow us to help educate the marketplace in the tsunami of what will be the future of the world of mobile,” Mr. Corfe said.

“I think it’s time for us to be courageous,” he said, “and with money you can be courageous.”

http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/advertising/1130.html

5th Finger Palms $7M For Mobile Marketing
By Timothy Hay 6/11/2008

Mobile marketing company 5th Finger Inc. has raised $7 million from Australian venture firm Starfish Ventures, and aims to double its staff as it moves toward profitability by the middle of next year.

The 15-employee company was launched, merged and in turn spun out in Australia, but is now based in San Francisco, according to its chief executive, Campbell Corfe.

5th Finger helps companies engage their customers via mobile device, sending them promotions, sweepstakes, loyalty programs and other incentives. Formed in 1999, it was one of the first companies to tackle mobile marketing.

The company's name is a reference to the human thumb and its use in communicating over mobile devices.

A few years after it was launched, 5th Finger was Australia's market leader in mobile marketing, Corfe said. The company then merged with NineMSN, a joint venture between Microsoft Corp. and Australian media empire PBL Ltd.

In 2007, 5th Finger, which developed the mobile component of NineMSN's business, was spun out and received angel backing.

The $7 million from Starfish Ventures is the company's first institutional round.

In addition to hiring and expanding its platform, 5th Finger plans a major foray into the U.S. as a result of the cash infusion, Corfe said. He declined to give a valuation for the company.

http://www.5thfinger.com

Venture Wire Newsletter

Mobile Marketer 5th Finger Raises $7 Million
Mobile marketing firm 5th Finger has raised $7 million in a financing round led by Australian venture capital firm Starfish Ventures.

The San Francisco-based company, originally started in Australia, is best known for providing interactive services around the Live Earth concert series last year. 5th Finger handled SMS text-messaging, online and interactive TV campaigns tied to the event.

But the company has also developed campaigns on behalf of clients include MSN Mobile, Nike, New Line Cinema, and Amazon. 5th Finger said it plans to use the new funding to continue its expansion in the U.S.

--Mark Walsh

http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=84437

Mobile Co. 5th Finger Gets $7M Infusion
ADOTAS – 5th Finger, a mobile marketing company, has reeled in $7 million in its first investment round, lead by Australian venture capital firm Starfish Ventures. 5th Finger plans to use the capital to spur growth in the U.S.

The company aims to help brands boost engagement with targeted audiences; 5th Finger’s most notable success includes its work with the Live Earth Concert Series in which more than 1 million lifestyle commitment pledges were received as a result of their SMS and online campaign.

“When looking for companies to invest in, we rank innovative and scalable technology together with market vision and thought leadership. In addition, the 5th Finger team has also shown great passion and an ability to deliver,” said Malcolm Thornton, general partner at Starfish Ventures. “In less than one year, 5th Finger has already established a strong foothold in the U.S. market and we believe the company will enjoy as high a level of success in the U.S. market as in Australia.”

5th Finger was launched in Australia and is now based in San Francisco. The company focuses on a number of industry sectors, including pharmaceuticals, retail and live events. Its clients include MSN Mobile, Nike and Amazon.

http://www.adotas.com/2008/06/mobile-co-5th-finger-gets-7m-infusion/

5th Finger Raises $7 Million For U.S. Mobile Marketing Play
San Francisco-based 5th Finger plans to announce today that it has raised $7 million in venture capital from Starfish Ventures in Australia. The company, which was originally founded in Sydney, Australia, where it was acquired by ninmsn, has now been independently re-established as 5th Finger in the U.S. The mobile-marketing company will use the capital to fund its U.S.growth. 5th Finger manages cross-platform, cross-country interactive SMS and Web marketing campaigns. For instance, it worked on a project with Live Earth Concert Series, which led to more than one million people submitting lifestyle “commitment” pledges, which were then managed by 5th Finger’s platform. The company is looking at working with multiple sectors, including food/beverages, pharmaceuticals, retail, media/TV and other live events. Some of its existing clients include: MSN Mobile, Nike, Newline Cinema and Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN), and it works with ad agencies, such as Avenue A | Razorfish, Grey and Cadient.

http://www.moconews.net/entry/419-5th-finger-raises-7-million-for-us-mobile-marketing-play/

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