Ninja Draws Katana and Gets $2.8m

Predictive gaming analytics firm Ninja Metrics has raised $2.8m in Series A funding, which it will use to expand into new markets. The firm has also launched the 'Katana Analytics Engine', to provide social media data to gaming companies.

Los Angeles-based Ninja Metrics was founded in 2009 by scientists and mathematicians from Northwestern University and the Universities of Southern California, Minnesota and Illinois. They have since developed a 'Social Value' model, which measures who influences others and how much that influence is worth in real monetary value. In addition, the firm offers an automated social graph analysis platform, to help online businesses and app developers target their 'most influenceable' and 'most influential' gamers or shoppers.

The new Katana Analytics Engine promises insights into the performance of mobile apps and games, predictions of customer spend and analysis of how their social media influence impacts on sales. Features include support for segmentation, cohort analysis, churn projections and revenue analysis.

New funding comes from Tech Coast Angels and the Harvard Business School Angels of Southern California, among others. CEO and co-founder Dr Dmitri Williams (pictured) comments: 'The company has always been heavily focused on data science, and the funding will help complement and advance engineering to open new markets, as well as help the company expand marketing and customer service development.'

Web site: www.ninjametrics.com .