$35 million round wasn't enough for RockYou
Online widgetmaker RockYou is still looking for another $5 million to $15 million in funding, even after it took $35 million last week, at a $300 million valuation. That money was for doubling its staff, moving to a larger office in Redwood City and acquiring more widgets — those annoying add-ons to social-network profiles — for its portfolio, RockYou CTO and founder Jia Shen told Silicon Alley Insider — but it's not clear what the extra cash is for. In March, rumor had it RockYou's lastest funding round would set its value near $400 million, but thanks in part to a sliding ad market and a developer-unfriendly Facebook redesign, investors are said to have turned skeptical, sending the startup's paper value down by $100 million to $150 million.
Despite the blow from Facebook, Shen told SAI that unlike its closest competitor, Max Levchin's Slide, RockYou intends to keep developing for the platform. RockYou will need to — especially if developer Blake Commagere wrestles back control of his popular Vampires and Zombies apps. (Photo by califrayray)