UrbanSitter, an online and mobile service for parents and sitters to connect through people they know, today announces it has closed $15 million in Series B funding. The round was led by DBL Investors with participation from Match Group, a division of IAC and newly launched VC firm Aspect Ventures, as well as existing investors Canaan Partners, First Round Capital, Menlo Ventures and Rustic Canyon Partners. The additional funding will be used predominantly to extend marketing efforts and enhance product development.

'A relative newcomer to the space, UrbanSitter is out-innovating incumbents with its combination of trusted connections, real-time bookings and mobile payments. This fresh capital combined with a seasoned leadership team and novel, in-demand service will enable the company to extend its reach in exciting ways this year,' said Cynthia Ringo, managing partner, DBL Investors, and new member of UrbanSitter's board of directors.

Founded two years ago to apply technology to power a faster, more personal babysitting service, UrbanSitter has seen steady adoption of its service in a dozen U.S. cities. This new round of funding will ensure UrbanSitter continues its momentum, which can be attributed to differentiators including the service's emphasis on trust, mobile capabilities and the ability to facilitate last minute bookings.

'With the growth of vertical marketplaces, peer-to-peer services and mobile payments, companies like UrbanSitter, Lyft and Airbnb are at the intersection of these trends and primed for growth by making our customers' lives simpler and more immediate than ever before,' said Lynn Perkins, CEO, UrbanSitter.

UrbanSitter fosters trust by showing both parent and sitter members how they are connected to one another by leveraging Facebook Connect. Parents can view each sitter's reviews, skills and certifications, experience, educational background, response time and number of repeat families. Profile pictures and video give another three-dimensional layer of information about sitters, while availability, hourly rates and typical response times are also outlined. UrbanSitter also facilitates the booking in real-time and the payment.

For more information on UrbanSitter visit: www.urbansitter.com or download the mobile app. UrbanSitter can also be found on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

About UrbanSitter

An online and mobile service for parents and sitters to connect through people they know, UrbanSitter makes booking a trusted babysitter as easy as booking dinner reservations. The site enables parents to search, book and review trusted sitters within minutes.

Headquartered in San Francisco, UrbanSitter was founded by a group of Internet veterans who wanted to use technology to power a faster, more personal babysitting service. The company is backed by Canaan Partners, DBL Investors, First Round Capital, Match Group, a division of IAC, Menlo Ventures, Rustic Canyon, Aspect Ventures, and several angel investors. For more information or to sign up, visit www.urbansitter.com.