Jingle Networks Closes A Round & Signs Deal with Ingenio

Client Jingle Networks has two significant announcements today: closure on their Series A investment round and a deal with Ingenio.

Leading investors signed up for Series A funding include First Round Capital, IDG Ventures, Liberty Associated Partners and Lead Dog Ventures. As part of the funding, Josh Kopelman, managing director of First Round Capital, has joined the Company as Chairman; David J. Berkman, managing partner of Liberty Associated Partners, and Chip Hazard, general partner of IDG Ventures, have joined the Company’s Board of Directors. John Landry, managing director of Lead Dog Ventures has joined the Company’s Board of Advisors.

Jingle Networks' 1-800-FREE411 revolutionizes the 411 directory assistance marketplace by offering consumers a free alternative to the high cost service provided by traditional carriers. The service is supported by advertising sponsorships from national and local merchants. In less than six weeks of availability, 1-800-FREE411 has already received hundreds of thousands of calls from nearly every state in the country, saving consumers an average of $1.25 per call.

Today, they also announced a partnership with Ingenio, Inc., the pioneer and leading provider of Pay Per Call advertising. Ingenio advertisers will be distributed on the 1-800-FREE411 service, which will allow Ingenio to augment its Pay Per Call advertiser distribution with new channels beyond Web search.

Since American consumers use traditional 411 services 6 billion times a year, 1-800-FREE411 has the potential to save Americans in excess of $8 billion in annual directory assistance fees. This is a unique opportunity for smaller merchants allowing them to benefit from the same value proposition as Internet advertising without having to incur the expense or complexity of developing a website or managing an online advertising campaign.