TEL AVIV, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Zlango, the global leader in visually enhanced text and mobile messaging solutions and services, today announced that it is entering the U.S. market through the general availability of its first app, Zlango Messaging for Android devices. Zlango also announced that it has achieved a new milestone of over 8 billion attitude icons delivered globally. Backed by Benchmark Capital, Accel Partners, and DAG Ventures, Zlango has raised $9 million total at the end of 2010 and 2009. With this funding, Zlango intends to open offices in the Silicon Valley and launch a localized version of its Pictorial Messaging Platform for mobile, web, and Facebook for the U.S. market.
The Zlango platform for mobile and web enables users to infuse their messages with fun, emotion-rich, expressive icons and images. Easy to use, Zlango replaces words with sequential animated expressions that visually enhance the messaging experience with personality, attitude and personalized innuendo. The company, which has been rapidly adopted by OEM and carrier partners throughout Asia, Europe, and Africa, touts a highly active user base of 4 million active messaging and texting enthusiasts. In the last five years since its launch, Zlango has delivered over 8 billion icons globally and has expanded to over 25 localized languages on over 500 supported types of mobile phones, and has developed relationships with over 40 strategic business partners worldwide.
“With the explosion of the smartphone market and in particular success of the Android platform, we see a large opportunity for innovation and personalization in the U.S. mobile messaging market,” said Michael Eisenberg, general partner at Benchmark Capital. “Zlango’s team has the right mix of experience, technology and infrastructure to make pictorial texting and messaging the next big thing in the U.S.”
“In Zlango, we see an innovative and highly creative company bringing the future of pictorial messaging to every phone and PC,” said John Cadeddu, managing director, DAG Ventures. “Their successes abroad make their move into the U.S. market an aptly timed step in the company’s natural evolution and we are here to fully support them in this endeavor.”
“Pictorial texting and messaging is the next evolution of how people communicate online, on their phones and on Facebook,” said Roni Haim, CEO of Zlango. “We’re excited to make our debut into the U.S. market where we expect great interest and adoption of Zlango’s more visual, personal and fun form of communication.”
Available in three distinct themes, “Urban,” “Gorgeous” and “Classic,” Zlango icons provide users with a range of expressions to suit their social preferences, mood and message intent. The platform also features its “Makin’ Moods” avatar creation tool, “Web-to-Mobile” composer, and “Wish Talk” Facebook App, all of which add personality to email signatures, websites, blogs, Facebook messages and mobile communication worldwide.
Supporting a wide range of popular devices with downloadable and preloaded clients across Android, Symbian and Java platforms, users with supported devices can create, send and receive Zlango Icon messages natively – through the familiar texting experience. In addition, any mobile phones with basic Internet access can receive and reply to Zlango Icon Messages over WAP.
Android users can download the Zlango Messaging app available today in Android Market here: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.zlango.zms&hl=en
About Zlango
Zlango is the global leader in visually enhanced text and mobile messaging solutions and services. Its pictorial messaging platform for mobile, web, and Facebook, enables fun, emotion-rich communication through the use of expressive icons and images. Easy to use, Zlango enables users to infuse their messages with personality, attitude and personalized innuendo by replacing words with sequential animated expressions that visually enhance the daily mobile messaging experience. Localized for each market’s language, slang and culture, Zlango’s platform and niche themed packs are updated regularly with fresh new content, offering hundreds of unique icons to choose from. In addition, with Zlango’s “Makin’ Moods” avatar creation tool, “Web-to-Mobile” composer, and “Wish Talk” Facebook App, users can add personality for any mood to email signatures, websites, blogs, Facebook messages and mobile phones worldwide. Available on multiple platforms and direct to consumers via major mobile operators and content providers around the world, Zlango supports hundreds of Android, Nokia Symbian and J2ME devices. Zlango is localized in 25+ languages across 20 countries and currently has over 4 million active users sending over 200 million Zlango icons globally each month! For more information, visit www.zlango.com.