Ground Truth and Umber Merge with $8m Investment

US mobile measurement firm Ground Truth has merged with networks analytics specialist Umber Systems under the new name Mobile Intelligence Solutions. The merger has been backed by $8m in venture capital.

Under the new banner, the company will have two divisions: a carrier analytics business that will operate under the Umber brand, and a syndicated mobile market intelligence business that will trade as Ground Truth.

Ground Truth was launched last year to provide census-based measures of actual mobile Internet usage from millions of mobile subscribers across the country. In April 2010, the company secured $7m in Series B financing, which it has since been using to expand its operations in the US and internationally.

Concord, MA-based Umber offers monitoring and analytics across apps, devices, networks and locations to provide carriers with an understanding of mobile data usage and how this correlates with user demographics and location. The firm also offers technical support and expert advice.

Ground Truth President and CEO Sterling Wilson said that his firm had 'long admired' Umber's strengths in delivering monitoring and analytics solutions to carriers via its platform.

Umber Systems founder and CTO, Asa Kalavade adds: 'Combining Ground Truth's deep expertise in mobile measurement for syndicated market research products and services with our advanced carrier analytics platform will bring to the marketplace the type of sophisticated analytics and measurement all participants in the mobile ecosystem are clamoring for.'

Wilson, who was elected as the company's President & CEO, will lead Mobile Intelligence Solutions, while Kalavade was named CTO and SVP of Engineering. Mobile Intelligence Solutions will have offices in New York, Boston, Seattle and Pune, India.

As part of the merger, the firm has raised $8m from North Bridge Venture Partners, Steamboat Ventures, Voyager Capital, Emergence Capital and OPENAIR Equity Partners.

Web sites: www.mobileintelligencesolutions.com , www.groundtruth.com and www.umbersystems.com .