TechCrunch50 startup Cocodot, which launched its online invitation site last year, has just raised $2 million in funding from Anthem Venture Partners and Rincon Venture Partners. The startup had previously raised just under $1 million in funding from Anthem and William Morris’ Mail Room Fund.
Founded by former MySpace CMO Shawn Gold, Cocodot aims to be a eco-friendly, one-stop-shop for event planning and invitations; sort of a modern, more chic Evite. You can create a high resolution, chic, stylish invitation (that can be printed as well), a vertical event pages, guest management tools, seating charts, and a directory for event planning vendors. When you create event, you can build an event homepage that aims to be a social conversation hub. Once you create an invitation, you can import your contact lists from Yahoo, Gmail, AOL and other contact managers and email services. Cocodot also lets you send links to the event homepage and invitation to Facebook and Twitter.
Cocodot is also getting into the online greeting space, letting user create a simple “happy birthday” or “Thank you” online card. Users can adjust color and text, move the graphics and text and even offers a “copy concierge” to help people think of thoughtful sayings. And Cocodot offers high-end online wedding invitations and an event management platform.
Since coming out of beta last month, Cocodot has gained considerable traction. The site has been featured on The Today Show, Vanity Fair, People Magazine and other mainstream media outlets. And Cocodot has even gained a celebrity following, including Brooke Shields and Gwenyth Paltrow.
Cocodot faces competition from Pingg, MyPunchbowl, and others.
