Deliver Your News to the World

TheDodo.com Announces Series A Funding Round Led By Discovery Communications; Raises Just Under $5 Million

Discovery Communications, TheDodo.com and RebelMouse Enter Into Strategic Partnership


New York, NY – WEBWIRE

The Dodo announced today a $4.68 million Series A funding round led by Discovery, with participation from existing investors SoftBank Capital, Greycroft Partners, RRE Ventures, Sterling Equities and Bruce Wilpon.

The company previously raised a $1 million seed round in September 2013, led by Lerer Hippeau Ventures, with participation from SoftBank Capital, Greycroft Partners, RRE Ventures and others.

The Dodo was launched in January 2014 by a team including co-founder Izzie Lerer, daughter of Buzzfeed Chairman and The Huffington Post co-founder Kenneth Lerer. The timing of the launch was ideal. The success of documentaries such as The Cove and Blackfish underscores that animal welfare has reached a tipping point.  The Dodo intends to own this movement. Frank Bruni of the NY Times wrote at the time of the launch, “The Dodo’s pedigree speaks to a broadening, deepening concern about animals that’s no longer sufficiently captured by the phrase ‘animal welfare’. An era of what might be called animal dignity is upon us.”

“In the past, caring about animals has been dismissed as radical, or overly sentimental, but now it’s really becoming an accepted movement,” said The Dodo’s co-founder Izzie Lerer. “We couldn’t be more thrilled and excited to be working with Discovery. There is no company that has done more to put animals front and center—they’ve made animals the focus as opposed to a fringe topic.”

The Dodo is the first media company built entirely on RebelMouse, the first content platform fully wired for social. This enables The Dodo to create content experiences that live simultaneously across social, mobile and web channels and build an engaged community.

A partnership between Discovery, The Dodo and RebelMouse allows all three companies to meld their respective strengths. A partnership with The Dodo gives Discovery and its affiliates access to an expanding target audience online, a community committed to treating animals well. Discovery Digital will work with RebelMouse to test new ways to distribute Discovery’s content and community across social, mobile and web channels.

About TheDodo.com:

TheDodo.com is a Lerer Hippeau Ventures startup and portfolio company that provides a home online for people who care about animals by covering the most important and fascinating animal stories every day. Launched in January 2014, TheDodo.com serves a growing community that is increasingly committed to learning about animals, more interested in understanding and improving our relationships with them, and more passionate about protecting them than ever before. For more information on TheDodo.com, please visit: https://www.thedodo.com/



WebWireID190530





This news content was configured by WebWire editorial staff. Linking is permitted.

News Release Distribution and Press Release Distribution Services Provided by WebWire.