IAC Consumer Applications & Portals (IAC CAP) has acquired Israel-based StarNet Interactive, parent company of Girlsense, “an ingenious fashion community for tween and teen girls that blends social networking with an artistic, inspired, virtual fashion world.” Deal terms were undisclosed.
StarNet Inteactive is a spinoff company of Gteko ltd, a company sold to Microsoft Corp in 2006. The company has raised $2.7 million in VC funding to date, and focused on growing Girlsense as a safe, free, ad-based social network for tweens aged 8-14. GirlSense has appoximately 13 million registered users and over one million unique visitors a month.
Users of GirlSense can design their own fashions, sell them in virtual boutiques that they maintain and market, and socialize. According to the press release, GirlSense targets a slightly different demographic than those of other IAC CAP’s properties: virtual world for teens Zwinki, SmileyCentral and Webfetti.
John Park, president and CEO of IAC Consumer Applications & Portal (CAP) said:
“Part of our growth strategy includes acquisition of products and companies that complement our core competencies. Adding Girlsense.com to our existing teen targeted product portfolio provides us with broader teen mindshare, and access to the coveted tween demographic.”
Girlsense is based in my hometown, Ra’anana and is led by founder and CEO Cathy Glazer.
Disclosure: I am an IAC employee and own shares of the company (IACI).
He is a former General Partner at Google Ventures (GV) in Europe, former head of Google for Entrepreneurs in Europe, and founding head of Campus London, Google's first startup hub. Eze writes on Israeli tech, venture capital, artificial intelligence, and founder strategy.
He is also the founder of Techbikers, a nonprofit that brings together the startup ecosystem on cycling challenges in support of Room to Read.
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