Gaikai raises $30M to Accelerate Cloud Gaming

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
LOS ANGELES, USA – July 20, 2011. Gaikai Inc is building the cloud for gaming: the world’s fastest interactive network, capable of delivering console-quality, real time experiences to browsers on virtually any device. Today Gaikai announces the completion of their Series C funding round to accelerate the roll out of the network.
Led by renowned venture capital firm NEA, this round also sees mobile giant Qualcomm join Gaikai’s investor group, along with Benchmark Capital, Rustic Canyon and Intel Capital.
David Perry, CEO of Gaikai Inc made the following statement:
“Our vision is to manage the Gaikai Global Interactive Network, built from the ground up for the cloud. Telecommunications companies were built to deliver audio & data within geographic boundaries. The next generation networks must be able to additionally deliver instant, real time interactive experiences to a connected global audience, both wired and wireless.
We have all become used to accessing every song ever made, every book ever written, every movie in every genre through cloud-based services. Gaikai is bringing this same functionality to video games and other interactive software. Over the last few years we have quietly designed and assembled a custom high-speed interactive network, purpose built to realize this vision.
Today’s media consumers are impatient with anything that stands between them and their chosen experiences. We help publishers get rid of friction, reducing clicks, eliminating downloads and delays. Today it is common to have up to 40 clicks and, sometimes, 60 minute downloads before a consumer can even try a great software product. The Gaikai Network enables publishers to deliver a full experience within 30 seconds in any leading web browser, on all operating systems, on all devices, even running inside platforms like Facebook. Many leading companies are already our partners in this vision, including video game publisher Electronic Arts and Walmart, the largest retailer in the world.
Our business is about enabling our partners to reach their customers more easily. We don’t impose business model constraints on our publisher partners; rather, we operate and manage public and private cloud platforms as a service, on a metered basis. Any company can work with Gaikai to quickly launch their own cloud-based services. We strive to help our partners build better relationships with their customers.”
This new capital added to the advice, relationships and experience of the teams at NEA, Benchmark, Rustic Canyon, Intel and Qualcomm will allow Gaikai to accelerate the growth and adoption of its Interactive Cloud Network.
Media Contact:
Alison Beasley, Lincoln Beasley PR
Email: Alison@lincolnbeasley.co.uk
Phone: + 44 (0) 7966 449130 (United Kingdom)
About Gaikai Inc
Gaikai is the world’s first interactive cloud streaming platform that provides its partners with the ability to instantly stream state-of-the-art video game and software experiences through the Internet to any web browser, running on any operating system. Headquartered in Southern California, Gaikai is backed by Benchmark Capital, Rustic Canyon, NEA, Intel Capital, Qualcomm and Limelight Networks.
To add Gaikai powered video games to your website please visit: http://www.gaikai.com/affiliates
For more information, please visit:
Press Kit: http://www.gaikai.com/press
Web: http://www.gaikai.com
Twitter: @Gaikai_Inc
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About NEA
New Enterprise Associates, Inc. (NEA) is a leading venture capital firm focused on
helping entrepreneurs build transformational businesses across multiple stages, sectors
and geographies. With approximately $11 billion in committed capital, NEA invests in
information technology, healthcare and energy technology companies at all stages in a
company’s lifecycle, from seed stage through IPO. The firm’s long track record of
successful investing includes more than 165 portfolio company IPOs and more than 280
acquisitions, including investments in technology leaders like Data Domain,
CareerBuilder, Diapers.com, Groupon, Juniper, Macromedia, Playdom, Salesforce.com,
and TiVo. In the U.S., NEA has two offices in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area
and one in Menlo Park, California. In addition, New Enterprise Associates (India) Pvt.
Ltd. has offices in Bangalore and Mumbai, India and New Enterprise Associates
(Beijing), Ltd. has offices in Beijing and Shanghai, China.
For more information, please visit: http://www.nea.com
About Qualcomm
Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) is the world leader in 3G and next-generation mobile technologies. For more than 25 years, Qualcomm ideas and inventions have driven the evolution of wireless communications, connecting people more closely to information, entertainment and each other. Today, Qualcomm technologies are powering the convergence of mobile communications and consumer electronics, making wireless devices and services more personal, affordable and accessible to people everywhere.
For more information, please visit:
http://www.qualcomm.com
Twitter: @Qualcomm
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/qualcomm