AudioMob, which serves audio ads inside mobile games, raises a $14M Series A

AudioMob is a startup that provides “non-intrusive” audio ads within mobile games. It turns out that gamers don’t seem to mind little ads like this popping up, and somehow AudioMob seems to have cracked the mechanics.

It’s now raised a $14 million Series A round led by Makers Fund and Lightspeed Venture Partners. Also participating are the Sequoia Scout Program and Google. Total investment to date is now at $16 million.

The company plans to continue its experimental audio technology, file patents in more countries and expand its offices in London and Abu Dhabi. It’s also now claiming a valuation of around $110 million.

I met founders Christian Facey, CEO, and Wilfrid Obeng, CTO, last year when they were spinning up the startup and had gained traction early on, working with Ed Sheeran and Nas alongside brands like Intel, Jeep and KitKat.

AudioMob is now serving audio ads inside mobile games in all countries outside of China with notable rising stars being the UAE, Germany and Canada.

Facey said: “We’re thrilled to see investors’ excitement for AudioMob’s vision for long-term success and our future. We’re on the precipice of innovating a whole industry with audio and now we’re able to build out our tech and team to ensure we’re disrupting the industry in the right way and ensure we eventually become a future tech industry unicorn.”

Obeng said: “We understand that consumers don’t want to be interrupted, advertisers want their ads to be heard and game developers want to ensure monetization does not affect retention. And now we have built products which meet all three needs.”

Google selected AudioMob as part of 30 startups it funded from its Black Founders Fund in Europe earlier this year.