Social Media Analysis Firm Banjo Raises $100m

In the US, geo-location social media data analysis specialist Banjo has raised $100m in a Series C round of funding, some of which will be used to hire more data scientists and engineers.

Launched in 2011 by serial entrepreneur Damien Patton (pictured), Banjo brings together elements of big data, social media, local data and mobile to derive value for both consumers and businesses. The firm says it analyzes billions of social media and digital signals per second and organizes them by time and location, to help companies understand and interact with people all over the world.

New funding has been led by Softbank, with participation from BlueRun Ventures, and brings the total raised to date to $121m. Patton says the funding will help make a reality of his company's vision to build the 'ultimate crystal ball', while supporting its aim of connecting the world's disparate real-time data streams and harnessing them into one unified source of insights.

'By organizing the planet's social signals by location, we've changed the game for our customers, and we are just getting started. Now Banjo is moving far beyond social signals. Our technology will know and understand everything, about any location, at any time, creating value for everyone, from individuals to corporations to continents', Patton adds.

Web site: www.ban.jo .