DuckDuckGo will likely be making extra early-stage investments in privacy-focused startups | TechCrunch

DuckDuckGo, the privacy-focused search different to Google, desires to place cash into startups which have an analogous give attention to privateness.

The corporate says that it’s actively searching for startups in search of funding, or startups that is perhaps curious about partnering up or being acquired. In a blog post today, the corporate name-checked its SVP of finance, Mike Marino, and director of company and enterprise improvement, Diana Chiu, as factors of contact for these .

DuckDuckGo writes:

“For early-stage investments, we’re versatile on deal construction, intention to maneuver shortly and are pleased to co-invest with different corporations, funds, and people. For acquisitions, we’re open to a spread of corporations that share a dedication to defending person privateness.”

Based in 2008, DuckDuckGo is the handiwork of CEO Gabriel Weinberg (pictured) who funded the corporate himself for the primary three years earlier than touchdown its first exterior money injection in 2011. Within the intervening years, DuckDuckGo attracted some $180 million in exterior funding (a good chunk of which got here from the secondary market), with backers together with Tiger International, Union Sq. Ventures, and people equivalent to WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton and web-inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee.

DuckDuckGo, which says it has been worthwhile since 2014 and has had greater than $100 million in annual income since at least 2021, positions itself because the antithesis of Google, monetizing by means of advertisements based mostly solely on the content material of key phrase searches reasonably than person knowledge. It additionally makes cash by means of “non-tracking” affiliate partnerships with the likes of Amazon and eBay. Extra just lately, the corporate has expanded additional past search, providing subscription bundles that embrace options equivalent to a VPN.

Non-public cash

Whereas DuckDuckGo has traditionally donated to privacy-focused non-profits such because the Digital Frontier Basis (EFF), the Sign Basis, and The Markup, it has quietly been taking a extra capitalistic strategy to the way it helps organizations that align with its personal objectives. Final month, the corporate joined a $50 million funding spherical into generative AI search firm You.com, alongside big-name backers equivalent to Nvidia and Salesforce Ventures.

A part of DuckDuckGo’s newly-launched Privacy Pro bundle additionally features a private data elimination service, whereby it scans knowledge dealer websites to search out private knowledge and requests elimination on the person’s behalf. As issues transpired, this service was powered by a startup referred to as Removaly, which DuckDuckGo had quietly acquired again in 2022.

A DuckDuckGo spokesperson instructed TechCrunch that the corporate has invested in six startups over the previous three years, although would solely identify You.com, Removaly, and one hitherto unknown one — an AI mannequin coaching platform referred to as EverArt.

Whereas shopper privateness tech will likely be a big focus for its investments, DuckDuckGo additionally stated will probably be investing in corporations centered on “search and browse,” in addition to “rising applied sciences” like generative AI. Certainly, its latest funding in You.com checks all these packing containers, because it offers a “zero-trace” personal search mode that You.com claims is “much more personal than DuckDuckGo.”

So whereas DuckDuckGo has been dabbling within the VC and M&A domains already, it’s now doubling down on these efforts by actively requesting that appropriate startups attain out.

As with different firms with funding off-shoots, from massive weapons equivalent to Google by means of smaller tech corporations like Twilio and Workday, DuckDuckGo will likely be investing from its stability sheet — that’s the place its profitability and annual revenues come into play. However on condition that it’s nonetheless a comparatively small personal firm in its personal proper, it received’t be becoming a member of megabucks pre-IPO funding rounds — that is all about early-stage investments.

“That is the primary time we’ve talked about our investments and the general technique round it straight,” the spokesperson continued. “We wished to make this announcement to formalize this work that has been occurring behind the scenes for some time, and sign to startups, potential companions, and the bigger tech group that our door is open to anybody who desires to work with us on a extra personal Web.”