Ustream operates an industry-leading, SaaS-based live video streaming platform used by enterprises for internal and external marketing and communications. Over the past two years the company has achieved exponential growth in its subscription-based business model, serving thousands of corporate customers and attracting tens of millions of monthly unique viewers. The company will use new financing to refinance senior debt and provide additional working capital to support continued growth. Bridge Bank provided the funding solution and introduced a venture debt partner to provide additional growth capital. Bridge Bank said it looks forward to working with Ustream to support ongoing growth initiatives and help the company reach its next milestone. The company is based in San Jose, CA. Ustream is a live video streaming platform offering real-time broadcasting and social features. Its product includes co-hosting video, IRC chat, customizable channels, an embeddable player, and viewing on mobile devices and smart TVs. Ustream has launched localized, language-specific platforms in Asia, including Ustream Japan and the newly announced Ustream Korea, and operates TV-style studios in Japan. The company is expanding in Asia through partnerships with major telecoms—most recently a joint venture with KT Corporation—and is signing influencers and brands to boost local content. Financially, the company recently closed an additional $10 million funding round largely led by Softbank, bringing total outside investment close to $60 million. Operating metrics cited include 14.2 million registered users, 29 million social stream messages, 2 billion viewers accessing content across the Web and mobile, and 54.5 million monthly viewers per Quantcast. Ustream operates a live-streaming platform that lets users and content owners broadcast video from PCs, tablets and mobile phones. The company has shifted increasingly toward premium content partnerships with broadcasters and news organizations such as CBS, MTV and the AP. It reports strong traffic, with 60 million users watching live streams each month, and says it will be profitable in 2012. Ustream has expanded internationally, maintaining three international offices, two U.S. offices, and over 150 employees. The service aims to continue growing in Asian markets and to leverage its multi-year focus on live content and social features to differentiate from competitors. Ustream operates a live streaming video service and provides desktop and mobile apps for broadcasters and viewers. The company recently launched a new desktop client to improve production quality and was the first major video service to offer recording functionality on the iPhone. Ustream's iPhone app has been downloaded over 1.5 million times, and 3.8 million people tuned in to watch President Obama's inauguration via the service. Management says the new funding will be used to expand in Asia — specifically Japan, China, Korea, and India — opening offices and hiring staff to target stronger mobile-video markets. Founders John Ham, Brad Hunstable, and Gyula Feher sold some shares as part of the transaction. Prior to this financing Ustream had raised just under $13 million from a 2008 Series A and a late-2007 angel round. Launched in 2007 as part of the first wave of live broadcast sites, Ustream.TV provides a live online video broadcasting platform used by political candidates, entertainers, musicians, technology figures, and business executives. The service couples live streaming with tools for video conversion and download (.FLV, .WMV, .MP4, .MOV) and supports syndication to sites such as Blip.tv. Ustream.TV says its traffic grew 325% over the prior six months. The company previously raised $2 million in angel funding and appointed General Wesley Clark to its board. It has raised a Series A to accelerate product development and meet market demand for real-time online broadcasting. Rumors also surfaced that it had been in takeover talks with Microsoft at a reported $50 million price tag.

Total raised

$102M

Funding rounds

6

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Mar 2012