14 DAY TRIAL // The search engine market isn't exactly lacking contenders and it is one of the most entrenched corners of the Internet but that hasn't stopped countless startups from trying, and failing, to conquer or, at least, make a dent in it. But, as not even Microsoft has managed to gain market share after pouring billions in its search engine, it's hard to see where all the enthusiasm comes from. Still, startup Blekko has managed to raise another $11.5 million in funding and a generous amount of intrigued press coverage despite, or perhaps because of, being extremely tight-lipped about its upcoming search engine project.
The company was founded in 2007 and has been working on its stealth project since then with very little information except that it is a search engine and that it’s built to manage the "modern web." But, then again, that is what all search startups say and do, find some niche they can conquer or a new approach that will revolutionize search, as taking Google heads-on is something no one is prepared to do at the moment.
Still, even if Yahoo has failed to gain any market share in the past years and Microsoft is still struggling at below 10 percent even after launching what many believe to be a very solid product with Bing, Google was after all a startup when it entered the search market and there is no reason to believe it won't happen again.
Blekko has raised $17.5 million in three rounds of investment from several venture capital firms and angel investors, this counting a $1 million credit line. The startup has been very secretive about its project and doesn't want any press until it has a product ready to show. In April the company's CEO, Richard Skrenta, said the product was about three months from launch though there aren't any new estimates now. For the moment the site only shows a picture of the Blekko puppet created by Skrenta’s daughter.