Seattle-based RIPL, a social networking startup that includes music and photo sharing aspects, recently grabbed a $2 million funding round.
The Series A infusion was first tipped by private equity forum PEHub, a division of Thomson Financial, LLC, following a regulatory filing. The company is currently in a closely-guarded beta phase, and demonstrating its social networking concept on an invitation-only basis on the University of Washington and University of Central Florida campuses. The destination, at ripl.com, is registered to Bill Messing, chief executive of the company.
According to a recent Seattle Times profile, RIPL is designed for the 18-24 demographic, and aims to combine aspects of MySpace, YouTube, and IM. “Sites like MySpace are about profile distribution. YouTube is about content sharing. Instant messaging has immediacy,” Messing said. “We combine all three into a single application that supports creativity and self-expression.” The concept will also include a number of smart advertising tie-ins, including targeted slicing-and-dicing of the RIPL audience. The startup received an early, angel round of $1.5 million, according to the Times.
Story by news analyst Alexandra Osorio.