Vizu Corporation Announces $1 Million in Equity Financing
--New consumer polling service and community generates public opinion data--
San Francisco, California, February 20, 2006 - Vizu Corporation (www.vizu.com), a San Francisco-based company that blends interactive Web-based polling with elements of social networking to create a place where the world shares its opinions, today announced the completion of its $1 million Series A round of financing led by WR Hambrecht + Co through its venture fund with participation from Amicus Capital and angel investors including Ron Conway, Esther Dyson, Don Hutchison, and Mike Maples, Jr.
Individuals can use Vizu to create and interact with polls on any topic, and can monitor or share content via email, RSS, instant messaging or by exporting polls to blogs, Web sites or other social networking sites. Organizations can use Vizu to answer simple, focused questions and collect data about trends and public opinion, particularly where the statistical robustness of traditional market research isn't necessary. In addition to covering a wide variety of topics including politics, business, current events, sports and entertainment, Vizu's poll library is expanding to include international content as well. Polls already exist and are being distributed in Chinese, Spanish, French, Portuguese, and other languages.
"Being able to quickly and easily aggregate and organize people's opinions is a powerful concept and will change the types of information people look to the web to provide," said Bill Hambrecht, Founder, Chairman and Co-CEO of WR Hambrecht + Co. "We are delighted to be financing Vizu's technology platform and user growth."
Esther Dyson said, "It would be a cheap and easy comparison, but yes, you could call Vizu a Flickr for polls. It doesn't just measure opinion; it provokes it. Vizu gets people involved and lets them self-organize around their opinions. Sometimes they get polarized, but mostly it does a good job of getting people to think about their beliefs – whether it's the choice of a wedding dress or the choice of a president." Dyson adds, "From a technical perspective, Vizu lets communities make their content accessible wherever they are rather than just where Vizu is."
Mack Tilling, Chairman and CEO of Vizu, added that "businesses and individuals can use Vizu to investigate sentiment on all manner of issues, and literally see what the world thinks. Never before has it been so easy for anyone to tap into public opinion and the wisdom of crowds."
About Vizu Corporation
Vizu Corporation (www.vizu.com) is a San Francisco-based company that blends interactive Web-based polling with elements of social networking to create a place where the world shares its opinions. Vizu allows organizations and individuals to create their own online polls which can also be easily distributed through a variety of online channels, including email, instant messaging (IM), RSS, blogs, and Web sites. Vizu is a privately held company backed by WR Hambrecht Ventures I, LLC, Amicus Capital and angel investors including Ron Conway, Esther Dyson, Don Hutchison, and Mike Maples, Jr.
About WR Hambrecht + Co
WR Hambrecht + Co (www.wrhambrecht.com) is an investment bank committed to using technology and auction processes to provide open and fair access to financial markets for all its clients. The firm's impartial Internet-based auctions, which allow the market to determine pricing and allocation, have dramatically changed the financial services landscape. WR Hambrecht + Co provides underwriting and advisory services for technology and emerging growth companies, as well as equity research, sales and trading, full-service and online brokerage and private equity offerings for institutions and individuals. WR Hambrecht + Co is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Boston, Chicago, London, Montreal, New York, Philadelphia and Stamford, CT. The firm has financial backing from industry leaders including American Century, Crimson Ventures, epartners, Fidelity Ventures, Instinet Corporation, Novell, Park Avenue Equity Capital Partners, LP, Scudder Kemper, Texas Pacific Group, and W Capital Partners.
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