Orlando startup Kony raises $18.3M to help big brands stay afloat on mobile

In an increasingly mobile world, Kony is helping big brands stay afloat.

Kony has raised $18.3 million in its fourth round of funding. Kony powers apps for enterprise organizations and brands across multiple channels and operating systems. It works with more than 70 of the Fortune 500 companies to build and deploy their mobile applications.

Kony’s service is comparable to “mobile backend-as-a-service” startup Parse, which Facebook recently acquired. Both companies simplify the process of mobile app development by offering templates and/or helping brands create the apps they need to run their business.

A strong mobile presence is an increasingly vital component of any business. Kony’s niche is apps that perform specific consumer and business functions. It offers a selection of prebuilt mobile apps including ticketing, banking, booking, health plan, and utilities on the consumer side; and mobile CRM, field sales, and marketing, HR, supply chain, and financial adviser on the enterprise side. Brands can also design custom mobile applications using tools in the KonyOne Studio and manage all their applications from one place.

To learn more about how brands and startups are working together to build strong mobile experiences, check out the Mobile Development Tools track at VentureBeat’s MobileBeat conference, July 9-10.

The company has 250 customers such as large global banks, Hyatt, Schweppes, Tyco, Delta, Aetna, Toyota, and eBay as well as a large network of partners. Kony has grown 90 percent year-over-year according to Kony CEO Raj Koneru.

This financing will fuel Kony’s expansion into the Asia Pacific market and further invest in product development, marketing, sales, and operations. Telstra Ventures led this round. Telstra Ventures is the venture arm of Telstra, which is Australians largest fully integrated IP network and mobile network. They two companies also entered into a reseller partnership whereby Telstra sell Kony’s solutions to its own customers.

Kony is based in Orlando, Fla., and this brings its funding to $52.4 million to date.