Avatar Company Gizmoz Gets $6.5M from DoCoMo and ngi group

Gizmoz, a platform that lets users take their Flash-based avatars into social networks, instant messaging tools, and videos, has received $6.5 million in a round of Series B funding. The round was led by DoCoMo Capital, Inc., a subsidiary of Japan's largest cell phone service provider, with additional funding from ngi capital, inc., a subsidiary of the ngi group, inc. The latter, it's worth noting, operates mixi, a social network service in Japan, as well as an open-source virtual world, a virtual world development house, and a Web interface for Second Life. The company has also invested in HiPiHi.

With strong investment from Japan, in addition to participation from Series A investors Benchmark Capital and Columbia Capital, Gizmoz is turning its sights on Asia.

"Gizmoz has done an excellent job of creating a social media platform for user-generated content that is unlike anything that exists in the world today," said Nobuyuki Akimoto, president and chief executive officer of DoCoMo Capital. "As it begins its next phase of growth, with an increased emphasis on cross platform development, Japan represents a large and strategic market for the company. Gizmoz's offerings come at an opportune time in the development of Japan's extensive mobile ecosystem, and they should feed the strong desire of Japanese consumers to embrace innovative content enhanced by Gizmoz's technology."