Online advocacy startup Change.org has raised $25 million in a new round of funding with contributions from many leaders in media and technology.
The donor list includes Bill Gates (Microsoft Founder), Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn Co-founder), Evan Williams (Twitter Co-founder), Jerry Yang (Yahoo Co-founder), Richard Branson (Virgin Group Founder), actor-investor Ashton Kutcher and Arianna Huffington (Huffington Post Founder).
The Omidyar Network, an investment firm created by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife, also participated in the funding round.
The San Francisco-based company plans to use the proceeds for expanding its engineering team and launching a string of new mobile technologies. Change.org will also launch apps that give government officials the ability to petition constituencies on social causes.
“We are building the largest network of people taking social action ever assembled, giving us the opportunity to transform civic participation globally,” expressed Ben Rattray, founder and chief executive of Change.org. “To achieve this potential, we’ve brought together a remarkable group of investors with experience at the intersection of business, technology and social change to help advise us in the next stage of our growth.”