Branch Metrics Raises $35 Million as it Becomes the Mobile Industry Standard for Deep Linking with Over 1 Billion Users and 1.6 Billion Links Created

PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 27, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Branch Metrics, the deep linking solution for app developers and marketers, today announced that it has raised $35 million in Series B funding. New investor Founders Fund led the round with participation from all existing investors, including New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Pejman Mar Ventures, Cowboy Ventures, Zach Coelius, and Ben Narasin, and new investor Madrona Venture Group. Branch will use this funding to further accelerate the adoption of its deep linking technology and to create the next generation of app and app content discovery products unlocked by deep linking. Since its founding, Branch has raised $53 million in venture funding.

During the last year, Branch has built deep linking technology that major companies and mobile app developers including Pinterest, Redfin, HotelTonight, Buzzfeed, and Jet use to make app content more easily shared and discovered. When clicked, deep links take consumers directly to the correct content for an installed app, and, if the app is not installed, will take them to the right place even after a detour through an app store. Without deep linking, consumers experience a start and stop experience that discourages downloads and creates barriers that reduce engagement and user retention. With Branch, app developers double user engagement, reduce acquisition costs by 30 percent, and obtain nearly double the retention rate.

Branch enables app developers and marketers to move away from expensive paid install campaigns to new, lower cost marketing channels for mobile apps such as email, SMS, and social marketing campaigns. With Branch, marketers can create content campaigns that span all of their channels and link directly to app content, allowing for more effective campaigns and lower customer acquisition costs.

"There is a good reason why people spend 85 percent¹ of their time on mobile in apps — they offer superior user experiences and unique content," said Alex Austin, CEO and co-founder of Branch. "However, the process of finding these apps in overcrowded app stores and generic install ads is painful for both consumers and app developers. We plan to use this new funding to continue our efforts to improve the app and app content discovery process."

Powerful features like Deepview Content Previews, Content Analytics, and Smart App Banners, when combined with its best-in-class attribution and analytics, allow Branch to open up traditional marketing channels to apps. This content-focused marketing and organic app discovery powered by Branch deep links lets marketers incorporate their apps into their traditional web campaigns.

"Branch has become the standard for linking in the mobile ecosystem," said Scott Nolan, partner at Founders Fund. "For a company that is just over a year old, that is an incredible achievement made possible by superior technology and relentless execution. As the clear leader in deep linking, Branch is perfectly positioned to help change the way people discover apps." As part of Branch's fundraising, Scott Nolan will join the board of directors.

Branch continues to experience extraordinary growth as its deep linking technology is adopted by companies of all sizes. Major milestones include:

• Powering deep linking for more than 1 billion users, up from 6 million last January.
• Handling more than 25 billion API calls per month, up from 780 million last January.
• 1.6 billion deep links created by partners, up from 20 million last February.
• Building a 10,000-person Mobile Growth community by hosting 146 meetups, lunch and learns, hackathons, and workshops in 50 cities around the world.

Branch's free deep linking, attribution, and analytics SDK is used by thousands of apps to power their mobile growth efforts. Visit Branch.io to learn how e-commerce apps like Jet and Ticketmaster, digital content apps like Buzzfeed, Fox Sports and We Heart It, travel and real estate apps like HotelTonight, Home Away and Redfin, and social apps like Pinterest, Dubsmash and Coffee Meets Bagel use deep links.

About Branch (branch.io)
Branch makes discovering apps and app content easier. With Branch's free deep linking, attribution, and analytics SDK and API, app content is searchable, shareable, and easier to integrate into marketing channels like email, SMS, and advertising. Branch is the only linking solution an app developer needs, supporting all existing deep linking and mobile search technologies like Facebook App Links, Twitter App Cards, Google App Indexing, Apple Universal Links, and Spotlight Search. Branch has thousands of partners including Pinterest, Jet, Buzzfeed, Redfin, HotelTonight, Luxe, PicsArt, Mint, Ticketmaster, Cole Haan, Houzz, Robinhood, and Fox Sports. The best teams in mobile use Branch.

Contact:
Brian Howell
Branch Metrics
[email protected] / (650) 209-6491

¹ Sarah Perez. (2015, June 22). Consumers spend 85% of time on smartphones in apps, but only 5 apps see heavy use. TechCrunch. Retrieved from http://techcrunch.com/2015/06/22/consumers-spend-85-of-time-on-smartphones-in-apps-but-only-5-apps-see-heavy-use/

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