Inmoji Raises $5M For “Branded Interactive Emojis”

Now that emojis have become a fundamental mode of communication in the mobile age, it’s no surprise that businesses are trying to capitalize.

One such company, two-year-old advertising technology startup Inmoji, just grabbed $5 million to advance its business that connects consumers and companies via “branded interactive emojis” used in mobile messaging apps.

The Series A funding round was led by John Wigneswaran, a medical doctor and healthcare executive, along with money from investors with ties to the MIT Sloan School of Management, according to a press release. Inmoji, which has offices in Boston and San Francisco, said it previously raised $2.5 million from Accomplice, PayPal Start Tank, and David Chang, the former chief operating officer of PayPal Media Network.

Inmoji’s software development kit enables the creation of clickable icons that can be used in messaging apps for the purposes of sharing music and videos, discovering new products, accessing deals, participating in contests and customer loyalty programs, making mobile payments, and more.

Inmoji’s partners include messaging apps such as Tango, Kik, Badoo, and MeetMe; brands like Starbucks, NBC Universal, Ticketmaster, and iTunes; and media agencies like Omnicom Media Group, OMD Worldwide, and Mullen Lowe.

Author: Jeff Bauter Engel

Jeff, a former Xconomy editor, joined Xconomy from The Milwaukee Business Journal, where he covered manufacturing and technology and wrote about companies including Johnson Controls, Harley-Davidson and MillerCoors. He previously worked as the business and healthcare reporter for the Marshfield News-Herald in central Wisconsin. He graduated from Marquette University with a bachelor degree in journalism and Spanish. At Marquette he was an award-winning reporter and editor with The Marquette Tribune, the student newspaper. During college he also was a reporter intern for the Muskegon Chronicle and Grand Rapids Press in west Michigan.