Navio Secures $25.4 Million in Financing to Meet Demand for Rights-Based Commerce Service

Navio Secures $25.4 Million in Financing to Meet Demand for Rights-Based Commerce Service

Company to Provide Breakthrough eCommerce Transaction Model

CUPERTINO, Calif., Nov. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Navio Systems, Inc. (www.navio.com), the leading provider of rights-based commerce solutions, today announced that it has completed a $25.4 million Series B round of equity funding led by WK Technology Fund, the leading VC firm in Taiwan, and joined by VantagePoint Venture Partners, with participation by existing investor Add Partners. The investment will be used to add operational capacity, further development efforts, and expand to other countries, as Navio continues to grow its' digital commerce marketplace.

"Navio's rights-based commerce approach will fundamentally change the way digital commerce is conducted," said Dr. Eric Wang of WK Technology Fund. "The potential for this breakthrough solution in the exploding digital content market is enormous. We are excited about the vast range of possible applications."

"Navio is unique in its open model approach to digital commerce. We have seen how open systems win out over proprietary ones, and see the same happening with digital commerce, placing Navio in a leading position," said Duncan Davidson, Managing Director, VantagePoint Venture Partners.

Navio Solutions

Navio uniquely enables digital rights to be consumer friendly. The Company's customers, which include leading music and media companies, mobile carriers, and messaging providers, can protect their content while enabling their subscribers to buy, share, download, store, and access their digital content collection. With Navio's ASP service, customers can easily "transaction-enable" their online communities, transforming them into vibrant, fast growing digital content marketplaces.

Navio's solutions include:

-- Digital commerce storefronts, accessible from any consumer touch point
including web, mobile and P2P networks
-- Promotional offers and integrated product bundles that can incorporate
any type of content, from multiple sources and brands
-- Online, mobile, and retail POS customer loyalty and retention programs
-- Mobile and online marketing campaigns
-- Rights management, including transaction and identity management
-- Custom digital currencies and digital cash
-- A "digital locker" for all registered users to transact, store and
access their digital content at any time, including "redelivery" for
lost content or upgraded devices

A New Transaction Model

Rights-based commerce is the revolutionary idea that traditional economic notions of physical ownership are inadequate when that content is in digital form. With Navio's DRM-agnostic approach, the "rights" to content are managed separately from the content itself, enabling legal file sharing, flexibility and scalability, and entirely new ecommerce functionality. By using a rights- based (versus file-based) approach, the rights of the content owner are protected. Content distribution can now be device independent (web or mobile), enabling broader distribution and consumer acceptance.

Navio offers these capabilities as an internet Application Service Provider (ASP) through a secure, world-class digital commerce platform and rights-based transaction engine.

"Our Series B financing gives us an expanded and committed Board, along with the resources to realize our full vision around rights-based commerce," said Stefan Roever, President and CEO of Navio. "Their expertise and contacts will help us to expand our rights-based commerce solution, and continue to support the growth of our customers."

About Navio

Navio is the leading ASP provider of mobile and digital commerce solutions based on a powerful new transaction model called "rights-based" commerce. Based around "rights" and not just files, Navio's solutions enable legal file sharing, far-reaching content distribution and commerce-enablement for online communities. Music and media companies, mobile carriers, and messaging providers use Navio to package, promote, and sell digital goods via any consumer touch-point -- from mobile devices to web storefronts to P2P networks -- while protecting their digital rights. Navio, a privately held company, is headquartered in Cupertino, California.

About WK Technology Fund

Founded in 1989, WK Technology Fund is the leading venture capital firm in Taiwan with a focus on Asia and the United States. WK's Chairman and Founder, Wen Ko, is one of the pioneers of the VC industry in Taiwan and was previously chairman and president of HP Taiwan for 13 years. WK invests in early-stage and mid-stage private companies in Taiwan, the United States and China, creating marketing and manufacturing synergies for its portfolio companies by leveraging its extensive technology network and strong management expertise.

About VantagePoint Venture Partners

VantagePoint Venture Partners is among the most active and successful venture firms in the world with more than $2.8 billion of capital under management. The Firm invests exclusively in technology driven companies and is organized around deep expertise and resources in five principal areas of interest: Semiconductors, Software and Internet, Communications and Systems, Healthcare, and CleanTech. VantagePoint is a multi-stage investor, investing in high growth businesses at all stages of development. The Firm supports each of its portfolio companies, including such companies as Cbeyond Communications, Intermix Media, Klipsch Audio, and Widevine with the resources of a dedicated team of VantagePoint professionals able to contribute a blend of company building, technology, operations, marketing, and corporate finance expertise. For more information: www.vpvp.com.

About Add Partners

A leading London-based Venture Capital firm, Add Partners invests in the most promising technologies and entrepreneurs in Europe and the U.S. Uniquely for Europe, Add Partners' expert investment team applies Silicon Valley-style investing, deep knowledge of the European market and global perspective to help early-stage companies achieve their global potential. Add Partners was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in London, UK. www.addpartners.com

NOTE: Navio is a trademark of Navio Systems, Inc. All other products and services mentioned are trademarks of their respective companies.

Source: Navio Systems, Inc.

CONTACT: Ulysses King of OutCast Communications, +1-415-392-8282, or
ulysses@outcastpr.com

Web site: http://www.navio.com/

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