BranchOut secures $25M to take on LinkedIn through Facebook

Professional social startup BranchOut has raised a $25 million third round of funding, the company announced today.

BranchOut is a professional network that operates as a Facebook application that lets users organize business connections, search for jobs, and view data about where their friends have previously worked — essentially performing many of the same tasks as standalone professional social network LinkedIn.

One thing the company makes clear in its announcement is what differentiates it from the other professional social networks. BranchOut says it’s more palatable to a wide range of professionals.

“Online networking is not just for managers and executives. New college graduates, retail workers, nurses, software engineers, and military veterans re-entering the workforce can all benefit substantially from having strong professional profiles on Facebook,” said founder and CEO Rick Marini in a statement. “We’re making it easier for our users to find jobs through their established and authentic Facebook relationships.”

The startup is also experiencing rapid growth, with 25 million registered users, and new users signing up at a rate of three per second, the company claims. Much of BranchOut’s growth has come from its emerging mobile user base. In February, BranchOut said 40 percent of its new users now join from mobile devices. The startup has native applications for Android and iOS devices.

The new round of funding was led by Mayfield Fund with participation by Accel, Norwest Venture Partners, and Redpoint Ventures. BranchOut said the new capital will allow the company to expand its San Francisco-based team of 45 people. BranchOut has raised a total of $49 million in funding to date.