SingleHop, a privately held company focused on providing highly automated Internet infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) and cloud computing, today announced that it has completed its first-ever institutional financing, a $27.5 million round led by Battery Ventures. Battery's Dave Tabors and Morad Elhafed will be joining co-founders Dan Ushman and Zak Boca on the SingleHop Board of Directors.

"Our business is unique in the hosting industry because all of our services are provided through our proprietary and fully automated platform. This gives us great operational advantages, and with the growing demand for hybrid solutions, it also positions us very well to offer a unified experience to our clients. We're excited about this next step as we work with an experienced investor to continue to grow the business," says Zak Boca, CEO of SingleHop.

SingleHop spent its first two years in business researching and developing its proprietary management platform, dubbed LEAP, which enables its clients to design, deploy and manage all their Internet infrastructure from one, unified platform. The company announced record setting 2011 earnings in February.

"Battery has a proven track record for nearly 30 years investing in technology companies. We are very excited to join the ranks of other technology leaders such as Akamai, Bladelogic, Groupon and Marketo. Our new relationship with Battery comes at an ideal time and will be a huge asset as we continue our rapid expansion," added Dan Ushman, Co-Founder and CMO of SingleHop.

"SingleHop is well positioned given the rise in cloud computing and demand for outsourced IT services. With its automated technology platform, the company has carved out a unique position in the market," said Dave Tabors, Battery Ventures General Partner. "Customers are happy and sticking around, and that's a direct result of the company's business model, coupled with superior technology and a smart leadership team. We're really looking forward to helping this company scale."

Cheval Capital, Inc. advised SingleHop on the transaction and American Chartered Bank also participated in the round.

About SingleHop

SingleHop is a dedicated and cloud hosting provider that offers highly scalable, on-demand infrastructure services to both end-users and resellers primarily under monthly contracts. With clients in 114 countries, two Chicago-area data centers, and over 10,000 servers online, SingleHop delivers state-of-the-art hardware, server management customization and Infrastructure-as-a-Service. While combining security and convenience to provide solutions for a wide range of enterprises, SingleHop remains an industry leader in providing customers with automated server deployment, remote management, and accessibility using a variety of personal devices.

SingleHop was established in 2006 and makes its home in Chicago, IL. In 2011, the company was named #25 on the Inc. 500 list for the fastest growing companies in America, a significant leap from #58 the previous year. For more information, visit http://www.singlehop.com.

About Battery Ventures

Since 1983, Battery has been investing in technology and innovation worldwide. The firm partners with entrepreneurs and management teams across technology sectors, geographies and stages of a company's life, from seed, start-up and expansion financing, to growth equity and buyouts.

Battery has supported many breakthrough companies around the world, including: Airespace (acquired by Cisco), Akamai Technologies (IPO), Angie's List (IPO), Anobit (acquired by Apple), Bazaarvoice (IPO), Bladelogic (acquired by BMC), ExactTarget (IPO), Groupon (IPO), Guidewire Software (IPO), ITA Software (acquired by Google), MetroPCS (IPO), Netezza (acquired by IBM) and Skullcandy (IPO). Its current portfolio includes emerging and more established firms such as, Calxeda, Consona, Cumulus Networks, Marketo, Neolane, Opscode, Pursway, VSS Monitoring, XtremIO and Zerto.

From offices in Boston, Silicon Valley and Israel, Battery manages nearly $4B in committed capital, including its current fund of $750M. For more information, visit http://www.battery.com. Follow Battery on Twitter.

About American Chartered Bank

American Chartered Bank, a subsidiary of American Chartered Bancorp, has $2.4 billion in assets and is headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois. The Bank is a leading commercial bank with a focus on Chicago-area businesses and the people who own and manage them.