App Annie Launches Internal Research Team

App store analytics firm App Annie has launched an internal research team, and appointed IDC veteran Danielle Levitas as Senior Vice President of Research & Analysis, to oversee the new practice.

App Annie is headquartered in San Francisco with additional offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, Hong Kong, London, Moscow, New York, Seoul, Shanghai, Tokyo and Singapore. Its Store Intelligence product helps clients understand the app ecosystem, while its Audience Intelligence tool offers publishers in-depth analysis of app users' demographics, related apps and sentiment data. Earlier this year, the firm launched a new tool called Usage Intelligence, to provide mobile executives with user and engagement trends across thousands of apps worldwide.

Levitas (pictured) joins with twenty years' experience of leading analyst teams at technology market intelligence firm IDC. She latterly served as Group VP and General Manager for the firm's Media, Mobility and Consumer practice, during which time, she grew her team from three analysts covering consumer devices, to nearly two dozen analysts working across an expanded range of technology.

In her new role, she will oversee the recently launched Research & Analysis team, which is tasked with providing custom research and insights for major clients. She will also help App Annie's Product team focus on innovations, while managing the firm's relationships with research firms. CEO and co-founder Bertrand Schmitt comments: 'Customers already see us as an expert in the space, so it's a logical next step to deliver tailored research and analysis via a service they can rely on. Danielle is one of the most trusted thought leaders and analyst team builders in this sector, and the benefit to our clients will be tremendous.'

In January, the firm raised $55m in a Series D round of investment, led by Institutional Venture Partners (IVP), and existing investors Sequoia Capital, Greycroft Partners, IDG Capital Partners, e.Ventures and Infinity Venture Partners; and bringing the total raised to date to $94m. This followed last year's appointment of former Netflix and Google exec Paul Stolorz as Chief Data Scientist, and AdMob founder Omar Hamoui as a Board director.

Web site: www.appannie.com .