Donde, Inc., a location as a service platform, today announced the closing of a $1 million investment, led by seed-stage venture capital firm Mercury Fund. Other participants include Chicago Ventures, Full Stack and Vine Street Ventures. Additionally, former ExactTarget CMO Tim Kopp joined the round as an angel investor. Donde will use the funding to drive product development, expand industry partnerships, and deliver on the company's vision to improve the customer experience on brand websites and empower businesses using location intelligence for growth

In conjunction with the investment, Blair Garrou, managing director of Mercury Fund and Dave Knox, CMO of WPP-owned Rockfish, will join the Donde Board of Directors.

Donde offers a tool that brands can use to convert mobile visitors to retail sales. The service provides high-intent shoppers with a store locator that is mobile, tablet and PC friendly, increasing the likelihood of an in-store purchase. For brands, Donde provides data from its locator to inform marketing and operations efforts. Current customers include SkinnyPop Popcorn, LasikPlus and Louisville Slugger.

Garrou joins the board to provide insight and counsel as the company continues its rapid growth and expansion into new markets. Garrou is a co-founder of several hallmarks in Houston's startup community, including the Houston Angel Network and the Houston Technology Center. A veteran advisor, Garrou currently sits on the boards of five additional Mercury Fund portfolio companies.

Rockfish CMO Knox will join Donde's board. He will continue to drive the partnership between Donde, leading brands and digital agencies. Prior to joining Rockfish, Knox was a seven-year veteran of Procter & Gamble, where he was instrumental in the digital turnaround that led to the company securing a spot on the coveted Ad Age Digital A-List.

Comments on the News
'As Donde gears up for incredible growth in 2014, having the support of a team that fully understands what we're trying to accomplish and has done it before is an incredible asset,' said Anthony Nicalo, CEO of Donde. 'Since inception Blair, Kevin, Dave and Tim have provided the much needed advice to get us where we are today and I'm thrilled that they have made a financial commitment to the success of Donde. Today's announcement is true validation that mobile marketers need a better way to bring together online and in-store sales.'

'Mercury Fund is excited to help Donde deliver its vision for multi-channel commerce,' said Blair Garrou, managing director with Mercury Fund. 'We believe Anthony and his team have unleashed the true power of mobile for bringing brand and retail customers into brick and mortar establishments.'

'The locator is the single most valuable piece of real estate on any retailer or brand website and Donde is making it even more effective,' added Dave Knox, CMO of WPP owned Rockfish. 'This innovation is why I became involved with Donde. Their locator service is the next logical step in consumer data collection.'

'Chicago Ventures meets with hundreds of innovative companies a year, making it extremely difficult to make investing decisions,' stated Kevin Willer, Partner at Chicago Ventures. 'We immediately understood the unique value Donde brings to marketing teams, giving them the ability - for the first time - to connect online behavior to offline sales. Together with an experienced team, we believe Donde's distributive technology will change the way companies interact with buyers, increasing overall sales.'

About Donde
Donde is a store locator service with tools to help drive retail sales. Through contextual tools, including ads, coupons and offers, it provides mobile users with the needed information to complete a purchase. Seamless to end-users, the software integrates into a brand's existing web, social and mobile marketing presence. Donde improves the online consumer experience and delivers data that empowers companies to make better selling decisions. A 2013 Brandery graduate, Disruptive Media Fellowship recipient and Cincinnati Innovates winner, Donde is poised to become an invaluable tool in the mobile marketing space.

About Mercury Fund
Mercury Fund is a seed-stage venture capital firm that makes equity investments in compelling and novel software and science-based startup opportunities. Mercury partners with extraordinary entrepreneurs to build globally competitive businesses, focusing on technology innovation originating in the U.S. Midcontinent. Since inception in 2005, Mercury Fund has become one of the most active seed-stage venture firms in the Midcontinent, becoming a 'go-to' fund for entrepreneurs at the early stages of idea generation, company formation, and market execution.

About Chicago Ventures
Chicago Ventures is a seed stage venture fund focused on catalyzing and partnering with the next wave of innovative technology ventures in Chicago and the Greater Midwest. Chicago Ventures partners with startups to provide them with their first round of institutional financing and works with them to achieve success.