PubNub Expands Series C To $25M, Banks On IoT To Boost Business On Its Messaging Network.

The startup that has built a data network that carries messaging for apps, IoT hardware and other low-latency services, is today announcing that it has extended and closed its Series C round. The San Francisco-based company has raised $25 million, funding that it will use to sharpen its focus on Internet of Things applications and hardware as well as clean energy and social collaboration.
We first reported on the round in July, when originally PubNub had raised $20 million. To date, the company has now raised just over $40 million.
The round was led by Sapphire Ventures (originally SAP’s venture arm), with participation from Robert Bosch Venture Capital GmbH (RBVC) — the strategic investment arm of the consumer and business electronics giant Bosch — as well Ashton Kutcher’s Sound Ventures and Envision Ventures; as well as previous investors Relay Ventures, Scale Venture Partners and TiE Angels.
“We’re thrilled to join this investment round with PubNub, which we recognize is driving some of the hottest social and entertainment apps on the market,” said Ashton Kutcher, co-founder of Sound Ventures, in a statement. “We have a tremendous amount of confidence in the management team and believe PubNub is poised for exponential growth.”