10 Daily Deal Sites that Received Funding in 2011- Who Pulled in the Big Money?

Daily Deal Media’s Countdown to the New Year

As we prepare to close the curtain on another year, DDM takes a look back at the roller coaster ride of events that made up the daily deals industry in 2011. From acquisitions to patent trolls to IPOs and even some surprises, over the next two weeks we’ll share just a few of the highlights that took us through the year.

          _________________________

Despite the down economy there seemed to be no shortage of venture capital and other forms of investment within the daily deals and group buying industry for 2011. Some companies pulled in some pretty big bucks this year to keep their businesses growing. In July Daily Deal Media reported that in the first six months alone, the industry had already received more than $1.69 billion in funding. So who was raking in the money in 2011? Here’s just ten from a long list of daily dealers that were on the receiving end of some very substantial cash.

Groupon $950 Million – Our number one daily dealer, Groupon, brought in $950 million in January, making a grand entrance into the new year. It was said to be the largest sum of money ever raised by a startup. Investors included Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Accel Partners and Andreessen Horowitz.

LivingSocial $400 Mllion – LivingSocial snagged $400 million in April from Amazon and Lightspeed Venture Partners along with new investors T. Rowe Price and Institutional Venture Partners.

Coupons.com $200 Million – Coupons.com, a site that offers free online, printable retail, Grocery store and restaurant coupon codes, announced in June that it had raised a hefty $200 million in funding from undisclosed institutional investors.

WhaleShark Media $150 Million – In November online coupon company, WhaleShark raised $150 million in funding from JP Morgan and Institutional Venture Partners bringing the company’s valuation to around $750 million.

Gilt Group $138 Million – In May Gilt Groupe announced an infusion of $138 million, bringing the valuation of the the flash sales retailer to around $1 billion. The round was led by Japan’s Softbank Group and Goldman Sachs Group. Other investors included New Enterprise Associates and Draper Fisher Jurvetson Growth along with two previous investors, General Atlantic and Matrix Partners.

Rearden Commerce $133 Million – Rearden Commerce, the creators of ecommerce software platform, Deem, announced in September that it has secured $133 million in funding from existing investors American Express and JP Morgan Chase, as well as from new investor Citi.

Zulily $43 Million – In August Zulily, provider of daily deals for Moms, babies and kids reported receiving $43 million in funding from Meritech Capital Partners, the same investment firm behind Facebook, PopCap Games and Zipcar, with existing investors participating.

Ideeli $41 Million – Members-only Ideeli, a site similar to Gilt and offering limited-time sales raised $41 million in April led by Next World Capital with Cue Ball Capital, StarVest Partners, Constellation Growth Capital and Kodiak Venture Partners also participating.

bloomspot $40 Million – In August bloomspot announced closing a round of $35 million in series B funding led by InterWest Partners and Columbia Capital with Menlo Ventures, True Ventures, QED Investors and others participating. The company also closed $5 million of venture debt from Western Technology Investment.

Snapdeal $40 Million – Proving that all that investment money isn’t limited to North America, Snapdeal, the New Delhi-based daily deals site raised $40 million in July. The round was led by Bessemer Venture Partners, with previous investors Nexus Venture Partners and IndoUS Venture Partners also participating.

Fab.com $40 Million – Fab.com the gay guy social networking site turned funky artsy daily deals invitation-only site reported earlier this month that it had raised $40 million in a round led by Andreessen Horowitz, the venture capitalist firm which also has investments in Zynga, Foursquare and Digg.

Dealfind $31 Million – Toronto-based daily dealer, Dealfind announced in May that it had received $31 million in funding from Insight Venture Partners, Georgian Partners and the Ontario Venture Capital Fund.

COMING SOON

Complete data and in-depth coverage of the 2011 deal industry is provided exclusively in our upcoming Daily Deal Media Year End Industry Report, available January 2012. This inclusive report covers the entire Daily Deal industry, including companies, opportunities, investors, emerging markets, new products and services, trends and forecasts and much more. Please contact us for more information or subscribe to our mailing list for updates.

More comprehensive information and data for the daily deal industry can also be found in the Insights section of DailyDealMedia.com