Double Fusion Inc., the leading independent in-game advertising network and technology provider, announced recently that it has raised $26 Million in a financing round led by Norwest Venture Partners (NVP). Round participants also include the company’s existing investors, Accel Partners and Jerusalem Venture Partners, and strategic investors Time Warner, Hearst Corporation, IDG Ventures Pacific and Sedona Capital. Double Fusion will be aggressively scaling key areas of the business including its media sales, technology, and international operations to maintain its leadership in what analysts project to be one of the fastest growing worldwide media businesses.

The rapid growth of in-game advertising is being driven by the huge and ongoing shift of audiences to interactive games from other media, coupled with advertiser concerns about the engagement value of other media. In-game advertising provides advertisers with new forms of advertising in an immersive environment, offering new ways for brands to engage deeply with their most important target audiences.

Established in 2004, Double Fusion is led by a management team that pioneered in-game advertising and videogame media. The company has developed, and successfully deployed over multiple games, an end-to-end technology suite that enables the display of rich media advertising inside of games, facilitated by robust development tools and services which provide publishers and advertisers with detailed reporting and campaign oversight. Double Fusion’s dedicated production and consulting teams work directly with advertisers, game developers and publishers to ensure the most effective campaigns, which respect and enhance the game play experience.

Through the strength of its sales team, consulting orientation, and technology, Double Fusion has earned the confidence and partnership of some of the strongest game publishers, and has assembled for advertisers a broad audience through its network of core and casual online, PC, and console games and virtual worlds, reaching engaged consumers across all demographics.

“Videogames are providing a new advertising vehicle that not only delivers a highly engaged audience, but fundamentally changes the way consumers are able to interact with brands,” said Jonathan Epstein, CEO of Double Fusion. “Advertising, in turn, creates new business models for game companies that will continue to accelerate the growth of the gaming audience. The commitment and confidence of these premier financial and strategic partners is recognition of both the huge potential of the in-game advertising market, and of Double Fusion’s leading position within that market.”

Double Fusion’s new and existing investors represent a formidable combination of top firms among the Silicon Valley, Israeli, European and Asian venture capital communities with leaders from media and entertainment.

“Double Fusion has outstanding market potential,” said Jim Lussier, general partner at Norwest Venture Partners who will serve on the Double Fusion board. “No other new advertising medium starts with a worldwide audience of half a billion consumers, or is projected to grow as quickly.  Double Fusion’s team, technology and leadership position has earned the confidence of the combined investor group as the company that will drive, and create huge value from a fundamental change in video game and advertising models on a worldwide basis.”

 For more information, please visit www.doublefusion.com