Poland based venture capital fund MCI Management S.A. successfully closed its first-round investment in the producer, publisher and distributor of wireless entertainment in Central and Eastern Europe, Czech-based Nostromo ICT Ltd., and committed to provide 1 million $ to finance expansion of the Company to other markets and increase of the current development capacity, with a long-term vision to leverage Nostromos position as the Central European market leader in premium mobile content.
Nostromo is the only company in Central and Eastern Europe pioneering wireless licensing on a regional basis as both an in-house developer and a distributor of well known, high quality brands. The aim of Nostromo is to leverage its presence throughout the region by providing portfolio of international licensed properties (Mr. Bean, Garfield, Happy Tree Friends, Hallmark, and more) as well as greatly successful locally based product lines (e.g. Pat and Mat, Nu Pogodi!).
âThe partnership with MCI will enable us to grow more rapidly to other markets, not just geographiclyâ says Petr Litos, one of the founders and CEO of Nostromo ICT. âAfter discussions with many investors we are happy we have found a reliable partner in MCI who will help and assist us with our expansion and growth.â
Recent achievements include Nostromo being awarded exclusive worldwide development rights for Garfield 2: Royal Adventure, the mobile wireless game which has been rolled out to coincide with the release of the new Garfield movie hit in Q2 and Q3 2006. The game has impressed critics globally and it became the very first game by Nostromo to be launched simultaneously in the US, Europe, Asia and Latin America. The game supports more than 750 various mobile handsets and thus opened new era in Nostromos history as a publisher and developer of premium games.
âMobile content is one of the sectors we have been investigating for a long time, and Nostromo caught our attention as we believe it is a well positioned company with strong and focused management which can become a significant regional player,â says Ondrej Bartos, Investment Director of MCI Management S.A. for the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
About MCI Management:
MCI Management S.A. is a venture capital technology fund, specializing in investments in modern technology in the following sectors: Internet, e-commerce, software, mobile, and biotechnology/life sciences in Poland, Czech Republic and Central & Eastern European region. The Fund is listed on Warsaw Stock Exchange. Over the period 1999 â 2005 MCI has made 25 investments, the first one in the Czech Republic was closed in July 2006 (Retail Info Ltd.).
About Nostromo ICT:
Nostromo ICT s.r.o. a private company active in the area of development of mobile games and general mobile content, especially branded content, and is also heavily involved in distribution of mobile content as an aggregator and licensed distributor. Global Headquarters and development is based in Prague, Czech Republic and local offices and sales representatives in Warsaw, Zagreb and Moscow. Nostromo entered wireless entertainment space in 2002 when developing mobile games for Lord of the Rings property. Since then Nostromo has worked with numerous acclaimed international and regional brands including Shrek, James Bond, X-Men, Spider-Man, Garfield, Mr. Bean, Hallmark properties, Happy Tree Friends, Nu Pogodi!, Pat and Mat and more.