People Data Company Pipl Raises $19 Million

Israel-based people data startup Pipl Search Ltd. raised $19 million from growth stage venture capital firm IGP Lichtman and Shani Ltd. (Israel Growth Partners), the companies announced Monday.

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Founded in 2004 and based in Petach Tikva, east of Tel Aviv, with additional offices in Idaho, Pipl develops a search engine for background checks based on data mined from available digital resources. Employing around 100 people, the company offers data services used for identity verification, data enrichment, human resources, security, online trading and financial services. It lists as clients Microsoft, IBM, Reuters, Twitter, eBay, and the BBC.

Pipl founder and CEO Matthew Hertz. Photo: Boaz Eshtai

In a statement, Pipl founder and CEO Matthew Hertz said the company’s services are used for customer relations management and background checks on job candidates. “Pipl finds the real person behind the online persona,” he said in a phone interview with Calcalist on Monday. The company will use the funds raised to expand into new markets, he added.

Founded in 2013, by Haim Shani, former CEO of Nasdaq listed NICE Systems Ltd. and Moshe Lichtman, former corporate VP at Microsoft, Israel-based IGP has raised $250 million in equity and is focused on growth stage Israeli startups with sales of over $10 million.