Mobile phone back-up service Dashwire raises cash |
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Mobile phone back-up service Dashwire raises cash
Trilogy Equity Partners has led a new investment in Dashwire, the Seattle company that synchronizes contacts, photos and text messages and more between mobile phones and personal computers. The $1.1 million investment -- which follows a $1.6 million round from Best Buy and Seattle angel investor Geoff Entress earlier this year -- is a major shot in the arm because of the expertise Trilogy brings to the table.
Founded by wireless exec John Stanton and other VoiceStream and Western Wireless execs, Trilogy has deep connections in the mobile phone world. Those connections should serve the 3-year-old startup well as it looks to grow the business, said Dashwire CEO Ford Davidson.
"The Trilogy partnership brings with it further validation for what Dashwire is building, and expertise to help us navigate the wireless landscape with unique propositions," said Davidson.
Davidson said the business is doing well, with plans to boost hiring and introduce its first licensed offering this fall. In addition to backing up contacts on the phone, Dashwire also allows mobile phone users to easily upload videos, photos or blog posts to social media sites such as Flickr, Facebook or Twitter.
Users also can send text messages directly from a personal computer -- similar to the offering from Seattle's ZipWhip.
At this point, the Dashwire back-up and synchronization service is available to consumers who have Windows Mobile and Symbian S60 phones. A BlackBerry version of the product will be unveiled this fall, with Android up next.
There are no plans for iPhone support, in part because Apple already offers the competing MobileMe service.
"The good news for us is that Apple -- with its iPhone, iTunes and MobileMe -- is putting pressure on mobile operators and device makers to come up with their own services -- and we have a big opportunity to help them with services for all other open mobile phones," he said.
Davidson declined to say how many people are using the Dashwire product. But the former product manager in Microsoft's Windows Mobile group said the business is doing well as more people look at ways to connect important information on various computing devices.
As a result of the investment, Trilogy's Mikal Thomsen has joined the company's board. Thomsen is the former chief operating officer at Western Wireless, which was sold to Alltel for $6 billion in 2005.
Dashwire -- with offices in Fremont -- employs seven full-time and six part-time workers.
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