 "Snapchat has managed to raise $1.81 billion in its latest round of funding")
Messaging app Snapchat Inc has raised $1.81 billion in an equity offering, indicating strong investor interest in the company despite concerns that it is struggling to attract advertisers.
Snapchat did not disclose its valuation in the latest round of funding in its filing on Thursday.
However, technology website TechCrunch reported on Monday, citing sources, that the company could be valued at about $20 billion.
Snapchat, which makes a free mobile app that allows users to send videos, photos and messages that vanish in seconds, has faced concerns that the company’s estimated valuation is not justified because of its uneven revenue stream.
Investors in this round included General Atlantic, Sequoia Capital, T. Rowe Price, Lone Pine and Fidelity, among others, TechCrunch reported on Thursday, citing sources.
Snapchat was not immediately available for comment.
Snapchat is an IM app that survives on a mix of private messaging and public, usually branded, content. The company was established in September 2011 by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy and Reggie Brown. In May 2012, Snapchat users were sending 25 snaps per second, by 2015, users were sending 6 billion videos a day and video views exceeded 10 billion.
With inputs from Reuters
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