How do you disrupt Google?

Is Google's business model no longer unassailable? According to CB Insights data, venture investments into internet and mobile search companies are on the rise again, topping over 50 deals in the past two years. Deal activity to mobile search/deep linking firms hit a multi-year high in 2014.

Mobile Search Companies Funded in 2014-15

Quixey

Total funding: $134.5m

Select investors: US Venture Partners, Softbank Capital, WI Harper Group, GGV Capital, Alibaba Group, Atlantic Bridge Ventures

Swiftype

Total funding: $22.2m

Select investors: NEA, Kleiner Perkins, Ignition Partners, Andreessen Horowitz

Wildcard

Total funding: $10m

Select investors: US Venture Partners, Softbank Capital, WI Harper Group, GGV Capital, Alibaba Group, Atlantic Bridge Ventures

Vurb

Total funding: $9.5m

Select investors: Atlas Venture, CRV, Redpoint Ventures, Stanford University, Data Collective, Susa Ventures

Relcy

Total funding: $9m

Select investors: Sequoia Capital, Khosla Ventures


Mobile search startups challenging Google attract investors

Mobile search is hot again, and the money men are noticing

$M, 2006 - 2014



The bumpy track record of search challengers and Google's dominance on web search resulted in little investment in search for the early 2000s. VC investments in mobile search companies are seeing the biggest jump in deal activity.

VC Investments in US Internet and Mobile Search Companies $M, 1999 - 2014

In 1999, Google Google raised its single $25M investment from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Sequoia Capital


(Source: cbinsights.com)