Unlockd operates a mobile platform that gives consumers discounts off their mobile phone bill, free data or premium entertainment content in exchange for viewing ads, content or offers upon unlocking their smartphone. The company partners with telcos and content streaming companies and provides tools to address customer retention and acquisition while driving new revenue streams. Founded in Melbourne in 2014, Unlockd also has offices in New York and London and is led by co-founder and CEO Matt Berriman. In May 2017 it raised $23m in a Series B round led by Axiata Digital. The company intends to use the funds to expand across Asia, including India. Unlockd delivers brief ads that appear immediately after a user unlocks their Android phone and in return provides discounts on the user’s cell phone bill via partnerships with telecom operators. The company partners exclusively with carriers in each market, handling ad sales itself and sharing ad revenue to subsidize lower monthly prices for subscribers. The service launched in Australia and rolled out in the U.S. in early 2016, where Boost Mobile customers receive a $5 monthly discount; U.S. advertisers include Starbucks, Lyft and Hulu. Unlockd emphasizes the timing of its ad impressions (post-unlock) as a differentiator from lockscreen ad models and relies on user opt-in with easy dismissal of uninterested offers. The company plans to expand into the U.K. and then Asia and aims to be active in more than five international markets by the end of the year. The platform currently works only on Android and the startup has raised over $17 million to date, including a recent Series A.

Total raised

$35M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series B

Latest activity

May 2017