Press Release
Pray.com, A Social Network Connecting Communities Through Faith, Raises $14M in Series A Funding
Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Fort Worth, Texas – March 14, 2018 – Pray.com, an interfaith, mobile-first, social networking platform for faith-based communities and non-profits, has raised $14 million in a Series A round. This follows a seed round announced in June 2017 and brings the company's total funding to $16 million. TPG Growth, the middle market and growth equity platform of alternative asset firm TPG, led the round with participation from existing investors Science Inc. and Greylock Partners.
Pray.com was founded in 2016 with a mission to strengthen faith-based communities and non-profits. Pray.com helps its members pray, connect, and give from their mobile phone. Members can join local faith communities, access content from faith leaders globally and form action-oriented small groups. For faith leaders and other non-profits, the app allows them to publish daily content, attract new members, and view community analytics.
"At pray.com, we see a tremendous opportunity to help communities build deeper connections online and then improve those relationships offline," said Steve Gatena, Founder and CEO of pray.com "Traditionally, our communities have been underserved by the technology sector, and pray.com is developing a solution that is customized for the needs of these communities. We've seen incredible interest from a wide-range of communities since our seed round, and we look forward to continuing to develop the platform to make it the go-to social network for faith-based interactions."
The pray.com platform has three main functions:
- Allows members to create prayer requests and share prayers
(content) with others. Private prayers can also be directed to other members
and thanks can be sent for prayers received. - Connects faith-based organizations with members via daily faith
leader broadcasts, community directory, and localized small groups. - Facilitates low friction giving between members and 501c3
non-profit and faith organizations.
"The vision at pray.com is to connect people with their respective communities, creating greater personal interaction and familiarity with their individual values and spiritual leaders," said Michael Jones, co-founder & CEO of Science Inc. "The platform is not specific to any one religion, but for all religions and faiths. It enables members to be more personally connected and provide and receive support to better their personal lives, unite as a community, and be inspired to give back."
With this latest round of funding, pray.com is developing new functionality that will give way to video streaming, more social interaction, and the opportunity for members to build out their profiles. The idea for pray.com was formed after Gatena experienced significant loss, including serious injuries that ended his career in the Air Force, as well as the death of his former business partner, helicopter pilot Alan Purwin. After Steve began his exploration of faith, he launched pray.com with co-founders Michael Lynn, Ryan Beck, & Matt Potter.
###
About pray.com
Pray.com's vision is to create a world where everyone leaves a legacy of helping others. Pray.com is a private social network and donations platform where faith-based organizations and non-profits can connect with their communities, help people get involved face-to-face, and take action together in times of need. The company is headquartered in Southern California.
About TPG Growth
TPG Growth is the middle market and growth equity investment platform of TPG, the global private investment firm. With more than $13 billion of assets under management, TPG Growth targets investments in a broad range of industries and geographies. TPG Growth has the deep sector knowledge, operational resources, and global experience to drive value creation, and help companies reach their full potential. The firm is backed by the resources of TPG, which has more than $79 billion of assets under management. For more information, visit www.tpg.com.
About Science Inc.
Science Inc. is the disruptive media, marketing and brand building company that creates, invests, acquires and scales successful digital businesses. Science brings together the best ideas, talent, resources and financing through a centralized platform. The platform is leveraged to develop new businesses, provide emerging startups with operational strategy and capital and transform later-stage Internet ventures with new talent and innovation. The company has co-founded and invested in more than 70 companies, including Dollar Shave Club, DogVacay, HelloSociety, FameBit, Earny, Pray and Mammoth, the media company that reaches 30% of U.S. teens every month through social broadcasting and App Store top 100 apps like Wishbone and Yarn. The company most recently launched Science Blockchain, its incubator focused on blockchain-based companies. For more information, visit http://www.science-inc.com and http://www.science.tokenhub.com.