Eye-Fi Raises $20 Million Series D Round, Led by NTT DOCOMO

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Eye-Fi Inc. (www.eye.fi), makers of the world's first wireless memory card, today announces it has completed a $20 million Series D round of funding, led by NTT DOCOMO, INC., the largest Japanese Mobile Operator and a recognized leader in mobile data and content services. Existing investors Shasta Ventures, Opus Capital and TransLink Capital also participated. NTT DOCOMO joins Eye-Fi as an investor and strategic partner, expanding the connected imaging leader's distribution and further establishing its mobile partnerships.

"Partnering with NTT DOCOMO is just one of several strategic steps we will take this year to showcase our enhanced customer experience and further expand Eye-Fi availability worldwide," said Eye-Fi CEO, Yuval Koren. "Eye-Fi's unique connected imaging solution is powered by our patented intellectual property and a rich ecosystem of camera makers, sharing sites, retailers and mobile operators. The result is millions of photos and videos being effortlessly shared from cameras and mobile devices each month."

In April, NTT DOCOMO will become the first partner to launch Eye-Fi card activation via mobile phones. This new, industry-leading technology means NTT DOCOMO's 59 million mobile subscribers can quickly and easily share high quality images between their digital cameras, mobile devices, online photo sites and digital photo frame – no computer required. This partnership provides a completely integrated experience, where NTT DOCOMO goes beyond the handset to give customers more places to showcase photos.

"A customer-first philosophy is at the core of both our business strategies, which makes partnering with Eye-Fi so advantageous," said Koichi Takahara, Managing  Director of Ubiquitous Services Department of NTT DOCOMO, INC. "Eye-Fi changes how customers interact with their photos, mobile devices and the people they want to share with. So, if someone wants to give a digital photo frame to each member of their family, they can now instantly upload new memories to each frame straight from their mobile phone or camera."

The funding round also supports the expansion of Eye-Fi's executive team, adding former Skype and eBay executive Michele Don Durbin as Vice President of Marketing. Don Durbin's experience in fostering brands' international growth will further extend and establish Eye-Fi's global footprint as the digital imaging industry is redefined – both geographically and across product categories.  Don Durbin brings more than a decade of product marketing, channel development, brand building and global customer acquisition to her new role.

"We're thrilled to have Michele on board to lead our marketing efforts in the US and abroad. She'll be an invaluable asset to our team as we continue to expand our brand globally," added Koren.  "Michele's extensive experience and creative approach for developing strategic partnerships, new channel opportunities and customer engagement will help accelerate adoption of Eye-Fi's powerful platform worldwide."

For more information, visit www.eye.fi.

About Eye-Fi

Eye-Fi is dedicated to building products and services that help consumers manage, nurture and share their visual memories. Eye-Fi's patented and patent-pending technology wirelessly and automatically uploads photos and videos from digital imaging devices, including digital cameras and Android and iOS based devices, to online, in-home and retail destinations. Eye-Fi has helped people wirelessly upload more than 400 million photos since being founded in 2005. Eye-Fi has received Popular Science's "Best of CES 2011: Product of the Future" award, TIME's "Top 100 Gadgets of All Time," and CNET's "Best of CES 2010" award in the digital photo and video category – and many more.

Headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., the company's investors include Opus Capital, Shasta Ventures and TransLink Capital. More information is available at www.eye.fi.

Eye-Fi products and services are now available at Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target, Office Depot and Amazon.com, as well as through various distributors in Japan and Europe. Eye-Fi apps are available at the Apple App Store and the Android market. For more information about Eye-Fi, please visit www.eye.fi.

About NTT DOCOMO

NTT DOCOMO is a world-leading integrated-services company centered on mobility. The company serves over 59 million mobile customers in Japan via advanced wireless networks, including a nationwide 3G network and one of the world's first commercial LTE networks.  Leveraging its unique capabilities as a mobile operator, DOCOMO is a leading developer of cutting-edge technologies for NFC mobile payments, mobile GPS, mobile TV, intuitive mobile assistance, environmental monitoring, smart grids and much more. Overseas, the company provides technical and operational expertise to eight mobile operators and other partner companies. NTT DOCOMO is listed on the Tokyo (9437), London (NDCM) and New York (DCM) stock exchanges. Please visit www.nttdocomo.com for more information.

SOURCE Eye-Fi Inc.