Israeli commenting platform startup Spot.IM has announced closing a $25 million Series C financing round led by Insight Venture Partners

The commenting platform company helps publishers build an#nbsp;online community.

Israeli commenting platform startup Spot.IM has announced closing a $#nbsp;25 million Series C#nbsp;financing round led by#nbsp;Insight Venture Partners with participation from existing investors Altair#nbsp;VC and Norma Investments, representing businessman Roman Abramovich. The financing will be#nbsp;used to#nbsp;fund Spot. IM's global expansion, including doubling the size of#nbsp;its New York-based team, and for further investment in#nbsp;its publisher engagement platform.

With offices in#nbsp;New York and Tel Aviv, the company was founded in#nbsp;2012 by#nbsp;CEO Nadav Shoval and Ishay Green. Spot. IM#nbsp;empowers publishers to#nbsp;engage with readers through its commenting platform, which is#nbsp;currently being expanded into a#nbsp;community platform. The company has raised $#nbsp;63 million including the current financing round.

Since closing its Series B#nbsp;round last year, Spot. IM's presence on#nbsp;publisher sites has virtually doubled to#nbsp;billions of#nbsp;monthly page views and more than 400 million subscribers. Spot. IM#nbsp;replaces standard commenting platforms with tools and capabilities similar to#nbsp;that of#nbsp;a#nbsp;social network such as#nbsp;real-time commenting, auto moderation, live broadcast, user reviews, notifications, follower capability, real-time analytics, cross-publisher promotion and mobile SDK. The company currently provides its technology to#nbsp;70% of#nbsp;the top#nbsp;US media players.

Shoval said, "For years, publishers have watched other companies profit from the expensive, high quality content they produce. Spot. IM's groundbreaking technology puts publishers back in#nbsp;the driver’s seat, allowing them to#nbsp;better monetize their own content and create engaged communities."

"In a#nbsp;few years, Spot. IM#nbsp;has quickly developed a#nbsp;strong reputation among top-tier publishers like Oath, Engadget, Time Inc., Fox News and Sky Sports for providing them with tools to#nbsp;increase and monetize engagement," said Jeff Horing, co-founder and Managing Director at#nbsp;Insight Venture Partners. "What Nadav and the team have built is#nbsp;very impressive, and we’re excited to#nbsp;work together to#nbsp;build a#nbsp;media-centric ecosystem."

Shoval added, "The audience engagement on#nbsp;publisher sites goes far deeper than it#nbsp;does on#nbsp;generic social platforms. Spot. IM#nbsp;always has been#nbsp;— and always will be#nbsp;— 100% committed to#nbsp;empowering the publisher community. It’s fundamental to#nbsp;everything we#nbsp;do."