TVSmiles is a quiz app that rewards users with "Smiles" for interacting with TV and various digital ad formats. Users collect "Smiles" by playing in-house produced quiz cards that mix editorial and commercial content into a native advertising environment. "Smiles" can be exchanged for rewards such as Amazon vouchers, PayPal credit, smartphones, tablets and more. Launched in Germany in September 2013, the app has been downloaded more than three million times and is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play. The company plans to expand its UK business next and then enter the U.S. and additional international markets. TVSmiles currently employs 60 people and will use new funding to support UK expansion and product development. TVSmiles is a Berlin-based second-screen app that uses audio recognition to identify TV ads and reward users with virtual currency called 'Smiles' for engaging with branded content. Users can redeem Smiles against partner products and at retail brand shops; since launch the app has over one million downloads, more than 50,000 five-star reviews, 300,000–400,000 monthly active users and up to 100,000 daily users. The company reports several hundred million Smiles collected and more than 50,000 rewards redeemed with partners including Mediamarkt, H&M and Amazon, and it has booked seven-figure campaign revenues from advertisers such as Wrigley, Johnson & Johnson and Mitsubishi. TVSmiles was founded in January last year and launched its service in German six months ago. The startup plans to use the new funding to reach profitability in Germany, scale relationships with media agencies and TV advertisers, launch in two to three key European markets in 2014 and prepare a global launch in 2015. TVSmiles positions itself versus competitors like Shazam for TV and says it already delivers more TV engagements in Germany than Shazam does in the U.S.

Total raised

$13M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Sep 2015