Fortumo
Company type | Mobile payment provider |
---|---|
Industry | Mobile payments Mobile communications Payments |
Founded | 2007 |
Headquarters | Tartu, Estonia |
Key people | Martin Koppel, CEO Gerri Kodres, CBO Rain Rannu, Founder |
Products | Electronic payments Mobile payments |
Number of employees | 80 |
Website | Fortumo.com |
Fortumo is an international mobile payment provider. The company offers various mobile payment solutions for web services and mobile applications. Fortumo services allow customers to make mobile payments in 95 countries on six continents, with a strong focus on emerging markets. Fortumo started in 2007 as a spin-off of the mobile services company Mobi Solutions, and currently employs over 80 people in its offices in Estonia (Tartu & Tallinn), USA (San Francisco), China (Beijing), India (Delhi), Singapore and Vietnam (Hanoi). As of June 2016, over 150 thousand developers have signed up to Fortumo's services.
Services
Fortumo provides mobile payment solutions for web, mobile web and native app monetization.
- Cross-platform mobile payment solution is used by online games, social networks and digital content merchants to enable purchase of memberships, virtual goods and additional content, mostly used as part of the freemium business model.[1]
- Native in-app purchasing SDKs for Android, Windows Phone and Windows 10 are available for native apps running on Android, Nook, J2ME, Windows Phone and Windows 10. Unlike other payment options, the SDK supports payments while the phone or tablet device is offline.[2][3]
- Payments API for advanced integrations and white-labelling, giving developers full control over the payment flow and user experience.[4]
Customers
Merchants using Fortumo include gaming companies (Rovio, Gameloft, EA Mobile, Kinguin), digital content merchants (Sony, HOOQ, Ditto TV, BoxTV.com, Gaana.com, Times Internet) and device manufacturers (Huawei, Alcatel, NOOK). Fortumo also works together with app stores such as Google Play and Windows Phone Store to enable carrier billing for their users.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]
Mobile Operator Partnerships
Fortumo has integrated approximately 350 mobile operators to its billing platform. Fortumo's mobile operator partners include mobile operator groups such as Telefónica, Telenor and Orange as well as individual mobile operators like Reliance Communications, Turkcell and Globe Telecom. Fortumo uses the mobile operators' technical infrastructure to process payments for its merchants while giving the mobile operators access to real-time data and payments analytics through its Fortumo Insight dashboard.[14][15][16][17][18][19]
Intel Capital and Greycroft Partners
In February 2013, Fortumo announced it had completed a growth round of financing with the first external shareholders - Intel Capital and Greycroft Partners - joining the company. Although financial details about the funding were not disclosed, TechCrunch reported approximately 10 million USD as the size of the deal. Fortumo co-founder Rain Rannu explained the reasons for bringing in additional investors: "Working with Intel Capital and Greycroft will help us to pursue additional growth opportunities, including strategic partnerships and acquisitions".[20]
Carrier Billing for Physical Goods
In September 2014, Fortumo launched an online store for selling Rovio plush toys to SingTel customers using carrier billing. The project where users charge physical item to their phone bill is the first of its kind in the carrier billing industry and Fortumo has reported seeing up to 5x lower shopping cart abandonment rates compared to credit-card based online billing solutions.[21][22]
Recognition and awards
- In 2014, the winner of the Estonian American Innovation Award[23]
- In 2013, Fortumo won a Meffy for an innovative business model for Android app distribution[24]
- In 2012, 2011 and 2010, Best Entrepreneur by Tartu City Government[25]
- In 2011, Fortumo won the highest Estonian recognition to entrepreneurs - Entrepreneurship Award 2011 (and also the award for Exporter 2011) given out by Enterprise Estonia.[26]
- In 2009, Mobile Monday Peer Awards 2009 Finalist[27][28]
- In 2009, Winner of the Best Nordic Mobile Startup award[29]
See also
References
- ^ "Cross-Platform Mobile Payments | Fortumo.com". fortumo.com. Retrieved 2015-11-16.
- ^ "In-App Purchasing SDK for Android | Fortumo.com". fortumo.com. Retrieved 2015-11-16.
- ^ "In-App Purchasing SDK for Windows Phone | Fortumo.com". fortumo.com. Retrieved 2015-11-16.
- ^ "Direct Carrier Billing API | Fortumo.com". fortumo.com. Retrieved 2015-11-16.
- ^ "Understanding Rovio's 'Angry Birds' deal with Idea". AnimationXpress. Retrieved 2015-11-16.
- ^ "Fortumo powers Viettel's direct carrier billing". www.telecompaper.com. Retrieved 2015-11-16.
- ^ DNA First to Launch Google Play Carrier Billing in Finland
- ^ Smart, Sun & Fortumo launches Windows phone store carrier billing in the Philippines
- ^ "BoxTV Ties Up With Fortumo For Telco Billing; Short Duration Packs Only". MediaNama. Retrieved 2015-11-16.
- ^ "Huawei partners with Fortumo for direct carrier billing". About-Payments.com. Retrieved 2015-11-16.
- ^ "Sony LIV to offer carrier billing in partnership with Fortumo". MediaNama. Retrieved 2015-12-15.
- ^ "Fortumo enters into carrier billing agreement with HOOQ". MediaNama. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- ^ "Kinguin launches carrier billing with Fortumo". The Paypers. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- ^ "Telefonica and Telenor sign on mobile payments firm Fortumo". TheNextWeb. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- ^ "Fortumo, Orange direct carrier billing pact launches first in Poland". Mobile Payments Today. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- ^ "Fortumo launches direct carrier billing with Reliance Communications". Medianama. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- ^ "Fortumo launches direct carrier billing for Turkcell AppMarket". The Paypers. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- ^ "Globe taps Fortumo for enhanced direct carrier billing service". Telecom Asia. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- ^ "Fortumo Unveils Business Intelligence Platform for Operators". Mobile Marketing Magazine. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
- ^ "Fortumo Raises ~$10M From Intel Capital, Greycroft To Take On Bango And More In Carrier Billing; Inks Deals With China Mobile And Vodafone".
- ^ "Fortumo moves from virtual to physical goods".
- ^ "Fortumo Blog: Mobile Operator Billing and Physical Goods? Now Live with Fortumo, Rovio & Singtel".
- ^ "NEWSFLASH: The Winner and Runner-Up of the Estonian American Innovation Award Announced!". AmCham.
- ^ "Meffys 2013 Winners Announced". MEF.
- ^ Awardwinners from Tartu
- ^ Estonia's Enterprises for 2011 are Fortumo and EMT
- ^ "Fortumo is a Mobile Monday Awards finalist".
- ^ "Fortumo at the Mobile Monday Awards finals". ArcticStartup.
- ^ Best Nordic Mobile Startup 2009