DuckDuckGo, the privacy-focused search service that replaces Google, wants to put money into similarly privacy-focused startups.
The company says it is actively seeking startups seeking investment or interested in partnering with or acquiring companies. In today's blog post, the company identified Mike Marino, senior vice president of finance, and Diana Chiu, director of corporate and business development, as points of contact for anyone interested.
DuckDuckGo writes:
“For early-stage investments, we are flexible in our deal structures, aim to move quickly, and are happy to co-invest with other companies, funds, and individuals.When it comes to acquisitions, we protect your privacy. We welcome a variety of companies that share our commitment to
Founded in 2008, DuckDuckGo is the brainchild of CEO Gabriel Weinberg (pictured), who funded the company himself for the first three years and received its first outside injection of capital in 2011. Ta. In the intervening years, DuckDuckGo has attracted about $180 million in outside investment. A significant portion of that came from the secondary market), with backers including Tiger Global, Union Square Ventures, and individuals such as WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton and web inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee. Contains.
DuckDuckGo, which has been profitable since 2014 and has annual revenue of more than $100 million since at least 2021, is the antithesis of Google, which makes money through ads based solely on keyword search content rather than user data. We are positioning ourselves as a. We also make money through “non-tracking” affiliate partnerships with the likes of Amazon and eBay. More recently, the company has expanded further beyond search, offering subscription bundles that include features like VPN.
private money
DuckDuckGo has historically donated to privacy-focused nonprofits like the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Signal Foundation, and The Markup, but we're looking at ways to support organizations that align with our own goals. I have taken a quiet approach. . Last month, the company participated in a $50 million funding round for generative AI search company You.com, along with major backers including Nvidia and Salesforce Ventures.
Part of DuckDuckGo's newly launched Privacy Pro bundle also includes a personal information deletion service that scans data broker sites for personal data and requests deletion on your behalf. As things go, the service was powered by a startup called Removaly, which DuckDuckGo quietly acquired in 2022.
A DuckDuckGo spokesperson told TechCrunch that the company has invested in six startups over the past three years, including You.com, Removaly, and one previously unknown company, EverArt. He said it's just an AI model training platform called .
DuckDuckGo said that while consumer privacy technology will be a major focus of its investments, it will also invest in companies focused on “emerging technologies” such as “search and browsing” and generative AI. In fact, the company's recent investment in You.com ticks all these boxes, as You.com offers a “zero-trace” private search mode that it claims is “even more private than DuckDuckGo.” Masu.
So while DuckDuckGo has already dabbled in the VC and M&A space, we're now doubling down on those efforts by proactively reaching out to the right startups.
Like other companies that make derivative investments, from large companies like Google to smaller companies like Twilio and Workday, DuckDuckGo will be investing from its balance sheet. This is where profitability and annual revenue come into play. However, given that the company itself is still a relatively small private company, it will not participate in Megabucks' pre-IPO funding round. This is all about early-stage investing.
“This is the first time we are speaking directly about our investments and overall strategy around them,” the spokesperson continued. “We are formalizing this work that has been happening behind the scenes for some time and are inviting startups, potential partners, and the larger tech community to open our doors to anyone who wants to collaborate with us. We wanted to make this announcement to let you know that we are opening up a more private internet. ”