Motorola Mobility announced on Wednesday that its Motorola Mobility Ventures arm has invested in a social networking startup called Shaker. The firm, based in Israel, says its social network is “similar to interacting in the physical world,” and that it “creates a natural setting using your Facebook profile and allows people to meet around mutual friends and shared interests.” Motorola’s MOTOBLUR user interface found on several of its Android smartphones allows users to access multiple social network profiles, but early versions weren’t greeted warmly by users. Motorola may use Shaker to spice things up a bit in future versions of the UI. “Shaker’s innovative platform gives consumers the ability to not only interact with each other, but with brands in groundbreaking ways that could never before have been accomplished on a social network,” Mony Hassid, managing director of Motorola Mobility Ventures, said. It is unclear how much Motorola Mobility Ventures invested in Shaker. A full press release follows after the break.
Motorola Mobility Ventures Invests in Shaker
Award-winning start-up specializes in evolving social networking experiences
Jan. 18, 2012
LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. – Jan. 18, 2012 – Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE: MMI), through its strategic investment arm Motorola Mobility Ventures, today announced that it has invested in Shaker, the award-winning start-up that recreates social experiences online.
For the first time, Shaker allows people to socialize in a casual and fun way online. Similar to interacting in the physical world, Shaker creates a natural setting using your Facebook profile and allows people to meet around mutual friends and shared interests. Currently, the Israeli-based start-up’s offering is only available to users in Israel. Shaker is planning to launch in the United States in the first quarter of 2012, and has recently opened offices in New York and San Francisco.
“Shaker is the next step in social networking online,” said Mony Hassid, managing director, Motorola Mobility Ventures. “Shaker’s innovative platform gives consumers the ability to not only interact with each other, but with brands in groundbreaking ways that could never before have been accomplished on a social network.”
“As more people start using social media sites on their smart phones, Motorola Mobility offers us exciting support and expertise to expand on all platforms,” said Yonatan Maor, co-founder and CEO of Shaker. “Motorola Mobility’s support will enable Shaker to offer an amazing experience across all devices.”
Shaker won the prestigious Startup Battlefield contest at TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco in September 2011, and announced $15 million Series A funding a few weeks later.
