Israeli gaming tech startup and maker of Pokerface Comunix scores $30M funding to reinvent social gaming experience

Mobile gaming continues to explode worldwide and represents one of the fastest-growing forms of digital entertainment, accounting for 52% of the global games market, which reached $177.8 billion in value in 2020 and is expected to surpass $200 billion in value by 2023, according to Newzoo. As mobile games continue to gain traction among new audiences, the industry is expected to reach $98 billion in revenue by 2024, according to Sensor Tower.

One of the fastest-growing companies in this space is Comunix, an Israeli gaming tech startup and the company behind the hit game Pokerface. Comunix is a social gaming company with a vision for interactive gaming experiences grounded in human connection. Formed by a team of seasoned technology and gaming professionals.

Today, Comunix announced it has closed $30 million in Series A funding led by March Gaming to accelerate its transformative vision of reinventing the social gaming experience and uniting people worldwide. The round was joined by new investors including March Capital, Powerhouse, Woori Capital, and Altshuler Shaham, and existing investors: Kaedan Capital, Velo Partners, Moon Active, Mitch Garber, Shay Ben-Yitzhak, Eitan Reisel, and Baladi Ventures.

Founded in 2018 by Idan Shriki, Or Ben Shimon, and Shay Tepper, the Tel Aviv, Israel-based Comunix is a social gaming company with a vision for interactive gaming experiences grounded in human connection. Comunix’s team consists of a team of seasoned technology and gaming professionals, Comunix aims to reinvent the current gaming experience by integrating innovative methods for human communication, such as group video chat, to create a seamless social experience for users. The startup currently has 47 employees.

Pokerface is the world’s first mobile social poker game that allows friends from all over the world to play Texas Hold ’em poker and connect via group video chat. In the past year, Pokerface has experienced explosive revenue and user growth and now has over 1 million monthly active users worldwide. Pokerface users range in age from 25 to 40, and 31% of active users are female. Comunix will use its new funding to continue to grow Pokerface, further expand its gaming platform and aggressively hire talent across the company.

“Today’s announcement is a huge milestone for Comunix – one that validates both our vision to create an interactive gaming experience grounded in human connection and the talent and dedication of our rapidly growing team,” said Or Ben Shimon, CEO of Comunix. “We launched Pokerface in 2018 and have been blown away as people from all over the world have embraced it as a way to simultaneously play one of the most beloved card games of all time and connect with their friends and family. I am so proud of my colleagues and look forward to using this funding to scale our team, continue to enhance Pokerface, and develop genre-defining social gaming experiences.”

Comunix aims to reinvent the current gaming experience by integrating innovative methods for human communication, such as group video chat, to create a seamless social experience for users. Comunix’s hit game Pokerface is enjoyed by millions of people from around the world who experience the fun of playing live with friends and connecting with new ones.

“We are thrilled to partner with Comunix as it continues to establish itself as one of the most innovative and fast-growing startups in the gaming industry,” said Gregory Milken, a Managing Partner of March Gaming. “The explosion in popularity of Pokerface is a testament to the strength of Comunix’s team and its unique, community-centric approach to classic social gaming. We look forward to working closely with Comunix and applying our significant gaming and operational expertise to support the company’s next phase of rapid growth.”