Photo and video-sharing co Mobli raises $22m

Kazakh businessman Kenges Rakishev invested $20 million, with $2 million coming from previous investors.

The investment in Mobli is Rakishev's second investment in an Israeli company, following a $5 million investment in cloud storage solutions developer TriPlay Digital Content Ltd.

“Mobli has tremendous potential because it enables people to do something very powerful to see the world through other people’s eyes in a simple, easy to use, and highly engaging format,” said Rakishev. “Mobli leverages social media to meet a very real human need to visually share experiences, thoughts and ideas with other people in real-time."

Mobli founder and CEO Moshe Hogeg said, “We are excited to complete our latest round of fundraising from such a well-respected and visionary investor as Kenges Rakishev, which further validates our business model. This latest injection of capital will support the continued innovation and development required to become the premier destination for mobile photo and video sharing."

Mobli's app for mobile devices enables users to share photos and video clips, and follow and engage with individuals, as well as by subject-based topics. "Mobli's objective to make it possible to see what is happening in the world through other people's eyes," says Hogeg. "If the substance of Instagram is effects of pictures and shares, we want to offer the option of seeing, what is happening at the Eiffel Tower or at Barcelona's Camp Nou Stadium. That's our vision, and we have a long way to go to achieve it."

Mobli has five million registered users and 20 million unique users a month.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on September 19, 2012

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