Sequoia Funds Snaptu to Power Apps on Java Phones

Tel Aviv based startup Snaptu has received an undsiclosed round of funding from Sequoia Capital. Snaptu, previously known as Moblica, brings iPhone-style apps to any phone that can run a Java application (according to Snaptu, most phones do).

The software is available for free download at m.snaptu.com. Once installed, the software will appear in the phone’s “games” or “applications” folder, offering a pre-loaded set of apps like a mobile Twitter client, Facebook, Picasa, news RSS reader, Trivia and more.

In the official announcement, Gili Raanan,a partner at Sequoia Capital said:

“We’re excited by Snaptu’s technology and vision and look forward to working with them to fulfill it. We see huge value for consumers and mobile operators in Snaptu’s unique approach to bringing mobile applications to virtually any phone”

[caption id=”attachment_2539" align=”aligncenter” width=”300" caption=”When you use snaptu for the first time, a set of default apps appear on the home page of the applications. You can add, remove and organize these apps by using the menu “]

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Snaptu monetizes its apps with ads, so they all remain free to users. The company was founded by Ran Makavy, Barak Naveh, Lior Tal and Micha Berdichevsky. It has reported to have 4 million downloads to date.