The Israeli virtual bar application, Shaker, continues its fantastic financing rounds with a $2.3 million injection from Motorola Mobility Ventures, the strategic investment arm of Motorola Mobility Holdings.
The investment is part of Shaker’s $15 million financing round made this past October, shortly after it won the prestigious Startup Battlefield contest at TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco in September 2011.
The award-winning Facebook app recreates social experiences online, allowing people to socialize and meet around mutual friends with shared interests. At the moment, Shaker is only available to users in Israel but the company is planning to launch in the United States in the first quarter of 2012.
“Shaker is the next step in interactivity on social networks,” says Motorola Mobility Ventures managing partner for Israel and Europe Mony Hassid. “Shaker’s innovative platform gives consumers not only the ability to connect with each other by a dynamic experience, but also with brands, in innovative ways that were not previously available on social media.”
Motorola Mobility Ventures joins Shaker’s current investors, Menlo Ventures, Michael Arrington’s CrunchFund, Eric Schmidt’s Innovation Endeavors , Lady Gaga manager Troy Carter, and Pitango Venture Capital.
“More people are now using social media by smartphones. Motorola Mobility is offering us support and an exciting opportunity to expand to all platforms. This support will enable Shaker to offer a thrilling user experience on any device,” said Shaker co-founder and CEO Jonathan Maor.