WI Harper Group Invests in SNS Plus as Part of Strategic Plan for Gaming

SAN FRANCISCO, BEIJING and TAIPEI, Taiwan, Nov. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- WI Harper Group, a leading Chinese early growth and expansion stage venture capital firm, today announced a USD $4 million investment in a co-lead round with Matrix Partners ("Matrix"), into SNS Plus ("SNS+"), an international publisher and distributor of worldwide games with a focus on the Asian market.

With over ten years of experience in social game operation and game control, the core management team of SNS+ is intricately in tune with the Asian game market, having offices in China, Taiwan, and Thailand.  SNS+ proprietary technology provides server, bandwidth, specialized tech support centers, and overseas operational experience in order to reduce the cost for bringing developers' games to market. As of June 2011, SNS+ has successfully published more than 60 games on Facebook, and more than 15 games on other platforms such as Zingme, iPhone, Friendster, etc.

The $12.2 million raised by SNS+, a Taiwan based company, is significant as it's an amount that has not been seen in Taiwan's early stage Internet related companies for over a decade. The successful model here is bridging mainland game studios to the overseas market, and having a channel focus to secure stable money, which SNS+ has already done.  

Mr. Peter Liu, WI Harper Group's Founder and Chairman stated, "SNS+ has many advantages including in-depth market research, local platforms collaboration, local payment systems collaboration, localized operation strategies, and diverse marketing plans.  SNS+ is not just a Taiwan and China play, but even more so a Southeast Asian play." Mr. Peter Liu continued, "We are deploying capital in our Fund 7 portfolio along the gaming industry wisely by focusing on HTML5 based mobile and online developers, publishers, and game platforms."

"We are very excited to have strengthened our key partnership with WI Harper through this financing," Mr. Along Chang, CEO of SNS+, commented. "Understanding the cultural differences in all of our markets, and constantly striving to meet the demands of our players is an exceptional advantage for SNS+.  We have achieved great growth due to execution of our business strategy and the implementation of our capital markets strategy. Looking forward, we will continue our efforts to increase the influence of SNS+, and honor our commitment to building long-term, sustainable value for both our shareholders and customers."

About WI Harper Group

Founded in 1993, WI Harper Group is one of the founding venture capital franchises in Greater China. The firm invests in early and expansion stage companies with significant operations in China and aspirations to become global leaders. We are an active partner with a track record of over 150 investments in the technology, clean technology and health care sectors. The firm manages over $750 million in committed capital from our offices in Beijing, Taipei and San Francisco.

About SNS Plus

Founded in 2009, SNS+ is an International social game publisher and distributor. The Company has successfully published many games in Southeast Asia, especially in Thailand and Taiwan. The Company not only provides a distribution channel but also great advisory services for the game developers to design the games that better fit the local environment. For the longer-term, besides continually expanding its market in Southeast Asia, SNS+ is also developing its own games to vertically integrate the industry, while at the same time, maximizing profit. As of June 2011, SNS+ has successfully published more than 60 games on Facebook, and more than 15 games on other platforms such as Zingme, iPhone, Friendster, etc.

For more information, contact:
Cathy Zhuang, Media Contact
WI Harper Group
+86 10 6539 1366
[email protected]

SOURCE WI Harper Group