Playmob was established in 2007 by Jude Ower and links virtual purchasing in online games to real-life charitable donations. The company provides a platform that enables developers and publishers to quickly set up charitable campaigns so players can support causes through in-game actions. Charities already benefiting include the WWF, War Child and Water Aid. Playmob emphasizes transparency, showing gamers in real time what they are directly impacting and how much the cause will receive. The company says linking in-game actions helps tell a story and capture players' imaginations while making a positive global impact. Financially, Playmob secured £215,000 from the Aspire Fund. The Aspire Fund is backed by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and provides equity finance to women-led SMEs. PlayMob’s core product, GiverBoard, integrates a game layer that lets players buy virtual items tied to charities, with developers able to nominate items and donate a percentage of revenue. Developers commit a minimum 50% of the revenue from a nominated virtual good to the chosen charity, while PlayMob charges a flat 10% fee and also sells analytics on campaign effectiveness. Charities can choose which game types and objects to be matched with, and brands can buy sponsor packages to support causes. The model demonstrated traction in a Thanksgiving 2011 test campaign where virtual food hats funded meals for homeless children and families in New York, and the company cites Zynga’s disaster sales as evidence that many givers are non-paying players (80% in that example). PlayMob plans to use new funding to expand the team and further deploy the product in social games. Founded in 2007, the company positions GiverBoard as both a fundraising channel for charities and a revenue-uplift tool for game developers.

Total raised

$1M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Sep 2013