BROOKLYN — Radar, a startup that helps companies use location-based data, has raised $20 million in Series B funding led by Accel. This round brings Radar’s total funding to $30.5 million, including an $8 million Series A led by Two Sigma Ventures in April 2019.
Additional investors in the Series B round include Two Sigma Ventures, Heavybit, Prime Set, Bedrock Capital and the cofounders of Flatiron Health.
The new funding will help Brooklyn-based Radar to continue expanding its developer-friendly, privacy-first location data infrastructure. Along with its funding, Radar also announced the availability of its open-source SDK version 3 in public beta, as well as a slate of new APIs in private beta including geocoding, search and distance.
The company will also open a San Francisco office later this year, while continuing to hire more employees in New York.
“Location data is extremely complex, and it’s difficult for developers to manage everything on their own. Companies use trusted processors like Stripe and AWS to house and process sensitive data, but historically there have been no great developer-friendly, privacy-conscious solutions for location,” said Nick Patrick, CEO and cofounder of Radar. “We started Radar to give developers the foundational tools they need to build amazing location-aware digital experiences, all while setting a high standard for privacy practices. Unlike others in the space, we will never sell, share or monetize any location data.”
“When used properly, location data can help companies deliver powerful, differentiated experiences to customers,” said Vas Natarajan, Partner at Accel and newly-appointed Radar board member. “We’ve seen huge growth in customers recognizing this. Radar stands apart as a developer platform and API versus others who commingle location data with ad tech. We responsibly build tools to enable unique location-centric experiences that couldn’t otherwise exist.”
Radar’s technology has already attracted Fortune 500 companies and high-growth startups like Burger King, Booking.com, Ibotta and DraftKings across multiple categories including retail and ecommerce, food and dining, travel and transportation and entertainment and sports.
