Funds, Acquisition and New CEO for Linkfluence

Social media tracker and analyst Linkfluence has raised $21 million dollars through two European growth funds, acquired San Francisco-based content monitoring software firm Scoop.it, and appointed the latter's co-founder Guillaume Decugis as its new CEO.

The company says funds, which came from Ring Capital and Tikehau Capital. will accelerate its development and help it enter the US market.

Linkfluence says it intends to transform the 'traditional business model' of social media listening, using a multi-layered offer based on an AI-powered SaaS platform; and offers access to 'the world's largest team of social data scientists' (more than 100), along with training services, to help clients maximize ROI. The firm's scientists work on data collected by the AI to prepare research reports containing 'directly actionable' intelligence. Another distinguishing feature of the company is its inclusion since early days of Chinese social media platforms as well as Western - it is one of the key western partners of Internet giant Sina Weibo.

Decugis, described as a serial entrepreneur, comments: 'Thanks to the acquisition of Scoop.it, not only is Linkfluence's R&D team growing by 50% but we're also setting foot in the US. The fact that our last round of funding is the largest within the social listening sector in the last three years confirms our belief that our business model is scalable, that we're on the right track for further growth'. Helene Henry-Prince, Investment Director for Tikehau Capital, says Linkfluence has proven its model with large global brands, adding: 'By expanding to the US and with this current portfolio of customers, the company is ideally positioned to accelerate and become a leader of the fast-growing social intelligence market'.

Web site: www.linkfluence.net .