Crunchbase, the business database that details myriad data points from startups and the investor ecosystem, has announced an $18 million funding round led by VC firm Mayfield.
Created by Michael Arrington in 2007, Crunchbase initially existed under the TechCrunch umbrella. It was subsequently acquired in 2010 by AOL, which, in turn, was snapped up by Verizon five years later. Backed by $6.5 million in funding from Emergence Capital Partners, AOL spun out Crunchbase as a standalone entity in 2015. Crunchbase raised another $2 million shortly after, as it launched its paid service plans.
With $18 million more in the bag, the company says it plans to “accelerate development” of new software-as-a-service (SaaS) products and grow its team — with a “significant commitment to diversity,” according to a press release issued by the company.
The first of its new products is being unveiled today — Crunchbase Enterprise, which is targeted at teams and includes a number of additional benefits.
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Crunchbase now offers four tiers. The free incarnation allows profile views and company / investor searches, while the $29 / month Pro version (launched in September) removes ads and enables alerts and stats, as well as a bunch of add-on features. The $99 / month Enterprise plan, which is aimed at teams of at least five people, offers all that Pro does but with better API access and with Salesforce integration, among other smarts. Crunchbase Enterprise is essentially aimed at sales teams, as it gives them an insight into market trends and other “signals.”
The company’s fourth tier, Applications, is basically a platform that lets third parties build apps using Crunchbase data.
“Crunchbase has become the go-to destination for accurate and up-to-date company information for businesses all over the world,” explained Crunchbase CEO Jager McConnell. “As we grow, hiring a diverse team will bring a variety of valuable perspectives into the business, which reflects the culture of Crunchbase. This will remain a focus of hiring as the company doubles in size in the next year. I’m inviting engineers from all backgrounds to text me at 415.881.8828 to find out more about joining our team.”
We can perhaps expect McConnell to be muting his phone right… about… now.
