Significant development in the online tours and activities sector today following confirmation of a $7 million injection into local deals service Zozi.
The Series B financing round comes from a string of investment firms including LaunchCapital, the Pritzker/Vlock Family Office, 500Startups, ZIG Capital, Thomas & Peter Lehrman and David Tisch.
The latest injection brings the total amount pumped into the firm to $11 million, having secured $4.3 million in a previous two rounds.
No mention in the announcement today that the securing of such a high level round comes after a major shift from the company following its initial launch in the summer of 2008.
A marketplace-type service, where users could be connected with suppliers of local multi-day tours, Zozi was actually originally known as EkoVenture, and included 10,000 tours from 450 operators, grabbing 10% commission from suppliers.
But the local deals buzz has triggered a significant change in its business model in recent years, with the company now focused on "curating" deals for single day tours and activities from specific partners around the globe.
Founder TJ Sassani says the new round of funding will enable the company to reach into dozens of new cities in the US and overseas and bolster its customer acquisition strategy.