Rustic Canyon in the News

PlayFirst Raises $16.5 Million in Series C Financing

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News Date: 
12/19/2007
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DCM Joins Mayfield, Trinity and Rustic Canyon to Fund Leading Casual Games Publisher

SAN FRANCISCO – December 19, 2007 – PlayFirst, Inc., a leading publisher of casual games, today announced that it has raised $16.5 million in its Series C financing round led by DCM. Existing investors, including Mayfield Fund, Trinity Ventures and Rustic Canyon Partners, also participated in the round. Previously, PlayFirst raised a total of $10 million in its Series A and B rounds, bringing the current total of venture capital raised to $26.5 million.

“Since its founding in 2004, PlayFirst has been a driving force in the explosive casual games industry,” said Peter Moran, general partner, DCM. “The company’s initial success with microtransactions this year has demonstrated that PlayFirst is among the smartest, savviest and most visionary companies in casual games. With a number of immediate opportunities to expand on its new business model – and their ability to create strong intellectual property like Diner Dash® – PlayFirst is in position to continue its leadership role in this dynamic space.”

PlayFirst plans to use the funding to accelerate both web and game development and to satisfy the increasing and ever-evolving demand for high-quality casual game experiences. Based on the initial success from new business models and new brands including Chocolatier®, Dream Chronicles™ and Wedding Dash™, PlayFirst will continue to expand and shape the casual games market.

“PlayFirst has a history of breaking new ground and with our introduction of virtual goods into Diner Dash we continued that trend in 2007,” said John Welch, CEO and president, PlayFirst. “We are thrilled to have the backing of DCM and the continued support of our existing investment partners to help us grow the casual games industry into the mass-market, highly profitable business that industry insiders and analysts expect it will be.”

According to analyst firm DFC Intelligence, the casual games/online games market is expected to reach $2.2 billion by 2012. David Cole, analyst, DFC Intelligence, said, "Innovative companies willing to diversify platforms, create quality content, move beyond the $20 business model and introduce innovations like microtransactions to casual games will continue to drive this industry forward.”

For more information about PlayFirst please visit www.playfirst.com. For more information about the Diner Dash franchise please visit www.dinerdash.com.

About PlayFirst, Inc.
PlayFirst is a leading publisher focused on creating shared casual game experiences around lasting original brands. Committed to building casual game play rich in story and character, PlayFirst works with talented internal and external developers to bring mass market games to multiple platforms, including PC, Mac, mobile, handheld and console. The company’s portfolio includes the world-renowned Diner Dash® franchise, as well as top-selling games such as Wedding Dash™, Chocolatier®, and Dream Chronicles™. Founded in 2004, PlayFirst is funded by Mayfield Fund, Trinity Ventures, Rustic Canyon Partners and DCM. For more information visit www.playfirst.com and www.dinerdash.com.

About DCM
DCM is an early stage venture capital firm supporting entrepreneurs building world-class technology companies.  The firm’s partners manage US$1.6 billion and have funded leading technology companies including 2Wire, 51job (Nasdaq: JOBS), @Motion (Openwave), About.com (The New York Times Co.), All About (Jasdaq: 2454), Arroyo (Cisco), Clearwire (Nasdaq: CLWR), Dang Dang, eDreams (TA), Foundry Networks (Nasdaq: FDRY), HireRight (Nasdaq: HIRE), Internap (Nasdaq: INAP), IPivot (Intel), JCI (Nasdaq Japan - Hercules: 9424), Neopath Networks (Cisco), Neutral Tandem (Nasdaq: TNDM), nQuire (Siebel), PGP Corporation, Recourse Technologies (Symantec), Sigmatel (Nasdaq: SGTL), SMIC (NYSE: SMI), Sling Media (EchoStar), Trion World Network, Inc., and Vimicro (Nasdaq: VIMC). DCM offers hands-on operational guidance and access to an extensive network of resources, including close relationships with many of the Pacific Rim’s leading companies and investors. For more information, please visit DCM’s website at www.dcm.com.

PlayFirst, the PlayFirst logo, Diner Dash, Chocolatier, Dream Chronicles and Wedding Dash are trademarks of PlayFirst, Inc. PlayFirst, the PlayFirst logo, Diner Dash and Chocolatier are registered trademarks in the U.S.

Press Contacts:
Caitlin Davis
Three-Forty for PlayFirst, Inc.
(415) 644-5830
caitlin@three-forty.com

Kirem Marnett
PlayFirst, Inc.
(415) 874-2665
kirem@playfirst.com

MC Hammer Hops Onto Dance Craze With DanceJam

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Wired News
News Date: 
11/12/2007
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In case you hadn't noticed, dance is hot and getting hotter. MC Hammer did notice, and the rap/dance superstar wants a piece of the online action.

With Ponies, Unicorns and Secret Codes, an Effort to Unleash a Craze for Girls

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New York Times
News Date: 
11/12/2007
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He has already introduced America to a boy-oriented trading card game (Magic: The Gathering) and one with unisex appeal (Pokémon). Now, Peter D. Adkison is hoping to find new success with a line of collectible cards aimed at girls.

Wizards of the Coast creator turns to girls game

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Seattle Post-Intelligencer
News Date: 
11/06/2007
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During the 1990s, Peter Adkison built Wizards of the Coast into a multimillion-dollar gaming franchise with the massive hit "Magic: The Gathering." The Renton trading-card company was sold to Hasbro in 1999 for $325 million, with Adkison and his team earning an additional $175 million or so after the deal closed.

Hidden City Games raises $15M

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Puget Sound Business Journal
News Date: 
11/05/2007
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Hidden City Games Inc. of Seattle has scored $15 million in venture capital funding to develop its Bella Sara collectible card game for girls.

How cleantech will bring manufacturing jobs back to US

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CNet News
News Date: 
11/01/2007
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The clean-technology revolution will likely make a lot of people in Silicon Valley rich, but it's also going to help bring back some of the factory jobs that have disappeared. Why? Weight, for one thing, explains Kevin Surace, CEO of Serious Materials, which recently landed $50 million in funding to build factories for its eco-friendly drywall.

Serious Materials gets $50 million to get serious about manufacturing

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CNet News
News Date: 
11/01/2007
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Serious Materials, which has come up with a formula for eco-friendly drywall, has landed $50 million to build factories. New Enterprise Associates ...

IN BRIEF: Suntech to Build Plants in US; Biofuels, Drywall Get Cash

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Greentech Media
News Date: 
11/01/2007
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Meantime, KiOR and Serious Materials close Series A and B, respectively. Chinese solar-cell maker Suntech Power Holdings Co. said Thursday it has started ...

Project Better Place pulls in Project Cash

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cleantech.com
News Date: 
11/01/2007
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Shai Agassi's venture grabbed a mountain of money, and 10 other deals were caught on our radar over the past week.

Serious Materials raises a serious round of $50M for green building materials

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VentureBeat
News Date: 
11/01/2007
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Indoor building material-maker Serious Materials has taken on a large $50 million second round of financing to launch a line of environmentally friendly drywall, the most common indoor building material in the United States.