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Duck, duck, goGoogle, the privacy-focused search alternative to Google, wants to invest money in startups with a similar focus on privacy.
The company says it is actively looking for startups looking for investment, or startups that may be interested in partnering or acquiring it. In a Today’s blog postThe company has named Vice President of Finance, Mike Marino, and Director of Corporate and Business Development, Diana Chiu, as points of contact for those interested.
Duck Duck Joe wrote:
“For early-stage investments, we are flexible in terms of deal structure, aim to move quickly and are happy to co-invest with other companies, funds and individuals. For acquisitions, we are open to a combination of companies that share a commitment to protecting user privacy.
Founded in 2008, DuckDuckGo is the work of CEO Gabriel Weinberg (pictured), who self-funded the company for the first three years before getting its first outside cash infusion in 2011. In the intervening years, DuckDuckGo has attracted about $180 million from Outside investments (a large portion of which came from the secondary market), with backers including Tiger Global, Union Square Ventures and individuals such as WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton and web inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee.
DuckDuckGo, which says it has been profitable since 2014 and has generated more than $100 million in annual revenue since then At least 2021positions itself as the antithesis of Google, Monetization Through ads that rely solely on the content of keyword searches rather than user data. It also makes money through “no tracking” affiliate partnerships with the likes of Amazon and eBay. More recently, the company has expanded beyond search, offering subscription packages that include features like a VPN.
Private money
While DuckDuckGo has historically donated to privacy-focused nonprofits like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Signal Foundation, and The Markup, it has quietly taken a more capitalistic approach in how it supports organizations that align with its own goals. . Last month, the company joined a $50 million funding round for artificial intelligence research company You.com, alongside big-name backers like Nvidia and Salesforce Ventures.
Part of the newly launched DuckDuckGo Privacy Pro The package also includes a personal information removal service, which scans data broker sites to find personal data and requests removal on behalf of the user. As things turned out, this service was backed by a startup called Removaly, which was owned by DuckDuckGo acquired quietly Again in 2022.
A DuckDuckGo spokesperson told TechCrunch that the company has invested in six startups over the past three years, though it would only mention You.com, Removey, and one as yet unknown — an AI model training platform called EverArt.
While consumer privacy technology will be a big focus of its investments, DuckDuckGo also said it will invest in companies focused on “search and browsing,” as well as “emerging technologies” like generative artificial intelligence. In fact, its recent investment in You.com ticks all of these boxes A. offers A “no trace” private search mode that You.com claims is “more private than DuckDuckGo.”
So, while DuckDuckGo was already dabbling in venture capital and M&A, it’s now doubling down on those efforts by asking suitable startups to connect with them.
As with other companies with investment subsidiaries, from large companies like Google to smaller tech companies like Twilio and Workday, DuckDuckGo will be investing from its balance sheet — with its profitability and annual revenue playing a role. But since it’s still a relatively small private company in its own right, it won’t join pre-IPO funding rounds – it’s all about early-stage investments.
The spokesman continued, “This is the first time we are talking directly about our investments and the overall strategy related to them.” “We wanted to make this announcement to formalize this work that has been happening behind the scenes for a while, and to signal to startups, potential partners, and the larger tech community that our door is open to anyone who wants to work with us on a more private internet.”
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