BlackBerry Partners Fund invests in Digby, Buzzd, WorldMate

BlackBerry Partners Fund, the $150 million venture capital fund started earlier this year to promote applications and services for RIM's BlackBerry device, today announced it had invested in the following firms:

• Buzzd--A location-sensitive city guide that uses GPS. Buzzd raised $3.2 million in Series A financing from BlackBerry Partners, Greycroft Partners, Monitor Ventures and Qualcomm Ventures.
• Digby--A mobile commerce firm that drives the delivery of physical goods via the mobile channel. Digby, which was a 2007 winner of the FierceMobileContent Top Mobile Apps award, raised $5.5 million in Series B financing with BlackBerry Partners and other existing shareholders.
• WorldMate--Mobile travel software that provides travelers with services such as itinerary updates and changes, flight delays and cancellations. WorldMate raised $8 million in Series C financing with BlackBerry Partners Fund, Motorola Ventures and AMC Communications.

John Albright, co-managing partner of BlackBerry Partners Fund, said in an interview with Fierce that the fund is strategically connected to Research in Motion but added the companies it invests in do not just have to develop for the BlackBerry platform. "That would be too limiting," Albright said. "A standalone successful company has to address all platforms."

For more:
- See this press release

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