Blackberry Fund Announces Dissapointing Ventures

• The BlackBerry Partners Fund, a venture fund aimed at backing applications for Blackberry’s new app platform, has announced their first 3 investments.

1. buzzd is a GPS enhanced mobile social network that also acts as a location based information guide. They have raised a $3.2 Series A from BlackBerry Partners Fund, Greycroft Partners, Qualcomm Ventures, and Monitor Ventures.
2. Digby, a mobile ecommerce application, that on past Blackberry devices has been less than useful. They closed a $5.5 million Series B round with Blackberry Partners Fund and its exisiting investors.
3. WorldMate, application which offers tools for trip management and information lookup. They rasied an $8 million Series C round with BBPF, AMC Communications, and Motorola Ventures

All of these apps sound rather dull and tell me that the talent lining up to put their apps on the new Blackberry platform is slim. Digby has been an application available since the Blackberry 8700 and was terribly executed. Now Blackberry is pouring millions into it? Seems like they weren’t getting enough quality people submitting to get funded, and they just picked out of a hat because they promised they’d give away cash. I don’t know who to be more concerned with , RIM or JLA Ventures and RBC Venture Partners who manage the fund.

TechCrunch

Tagged as: Blackberry Fund, Blackberry Fund Dissapointing, Buzzd, Digby, WorldMAte