uLocate finds $11M in funding

Location-based application developer uLocate Communications Inc. pocketed $11 million in a funding round led by Venrock.
Existing investors GrandBanks Capital and Kodiak Venture Partners joined the round, and Venrock partner Mike Tyrrell joined uLocate’s board under terms of the deal. The Framingham, Mass.-based firm said it will use the cash to develop and market its new Where platform, a GPS-enabled application that uses widgets to allow users to personalize location-based information.
“Our mission with Where is simple,” said uLocate CEO Walt Doyle. “We make it easy for developers to create and deliver great content to the handset. In turn, consumers can personalize their mobile GPS experience through a breadth of content that is relevant to where they are at any given time.”
Originally established as the venture capital arm of the Rockefeller family, Venrock has backed technology and healthcare firms including Apple Inc., DoubleClick, Intel Corp. and Idec Pharmaceuticals.