New Delhi : Gibraltar-based SnapLion Global Ltd. which runs SnapLion.com has raised an undisclosed round of funding from an all star syndicate of venture funds that includes Orios Venture Partners, India Internet Group, Blume Ventures, Indian Angel investors including, Rajan Anandan, Sandeep Soni, and Gaurav Sharma, and Silicon Valley Angels including Nickhil Jakatdar(CEO Vuclip, Silicon Valley), and Piyush Shah.

‘It’s a big validation of our business model. This fresh round of investment will be used to improve our core platform and make our, already world-class, platform the best in the world. We will also use these funds to fuel global expansion,’ said Nikhil Sama, Co-founder & CEO, SnapLion.

Founded in 2011, SnapLion is a ‘do-it-yourself’ platform that enables anyone to build beautiful, custom mobile apps within a few hours, with no required coding skills, and at a price lower than that of a restaurant dinner.

Unlike traditional iPhone and Android apps, these apps can be updated with new content and design on the fly, in real time, by updating the back end CMS at Snaplion.com.

Restaurants, musicians, artists, designers, venues, event promoters, record labels, photographers or anyone can create and manage their own iPhone and Android apps quickly, easily and inexpensively.

According to Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends Report, Internet access via mobile has already surpassed desktop access in India, and will soon surpass desktop access globally. In a way, this means that today it’s more important for a business to have a mobile app than it is to have a website.

When asked as to why a business needs a mobile app today, Nikhil replied, “The smartphone is the first computing device that is within 9 feet of consumers 24 hours a day. And with a mobile app, brands can be within 9 feet of their customers at all times.  It really is an unprecedented opportunity for smart brands to leverage.”

He further added, “Today, the independent thinkers and opinion leaders are building custom apps with SnapLion. These brands will benefit most from their custom apps. Within a year, every brand that matters will follow with a custom app of its own.”

Pricing starts as low as $35/month for Artists, and can go as high as $1000+/month for large chains and professional sports teams.

SnapLion already powers the mobile presence of leading brands such as:

Artists – Grammy Award nominee Anoushka Shankar (UK), renowned Indian violinist (Dr. L Subramaniam) and Humble the Poet (Canada) and 50+ others

Hospitality – B Bar (Buddha Bar Delhi), High Spirits (Pune), Plush (Kolkata), OnToes (Mumbai), SOY (30+ outlet restaurant chain in Dubai & India), and Mamagoto (restaurant chain)  and 50+ others

Wellness – Moksha Spa

Events – Sunburn – the 100,000 person New Year Eve event in Goa and several others

Sports – Kings XI Punjab IPL cricket team

Consumers are downloading, and using, these, free to download apps, to engage with brands, make reservations, join the in-app, punch card based, loyalty program, view socially engaging menus with the ability to filter menu items based on tags and likes/comments by facebook friends, order food in-app and have it delivered with one tap on the phone.

The ‘Fan Wall’ or the ‘Social Guestbook’ in the app has been a hit in apps like the Kings XI Punjab where fans engaged directed with the Punjab XI on team selection for matches.

Once a consumer downloads their app, businesses are able to send them push notifications that pop up on their phone at any time – promotional alerts like “40% off for the next hour” or event announcements like “Special Sushi menu on Friday night”.  Proximity alerts can also be sent when consumers enter the geographical vicinity (‘geofence’) of the restaurant, or other business in question.

Source : Renaissa ghosh