<article><a style="color: #000080;" href="http://retty.me/" target="_blank">Retty</a>, a Japanese app that helps people navigate Japan’s restaurants, has secured $8.24 million in  Series C funding.</article>

<a style="color: #000080;" href="http://retty.me/" target="_blank">Retty</a>, a Japanese app that helps people navigate Japan’s restaurants, has secured $8.24 million in  Series C funding.
Modelled on the likes of US-based <a href="http://www.yelp.com/" target="_blank">Yelp</a> and competing with <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://tabelog.com" target="_blank">Tabelog</a> and <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.gnavi.co.jp/en/" target="_blank">Gurunavi</a> in the Japanese market, Retty lets users rate restaurants, as well as allowing them to track the outlets popular amongst their friends and peers.
The investors for this series C are <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.fidelitygrowthpartners.jp/en/" target="_blank">Fidelity Growth Partners Japan</a>, Gree Ventures and Mizuho Capital, who also invested in the earlier rounds.
In December 2013, Retty had already closed a series B round worth $3.2 million, led by <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.techv.co.jp/en/" target="_blank">Itochu Ventures</a>, <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.mizuhobank.com/mcmc/index.html" target="_blank">Mizuho Capital</a> and other undisclosed investors. This considerable increase in funding is based on the traction Retty has displayed. From approximately one million monthly visitors in December 2013, the number of active users per month is projected to reach eight million by the end of March, according to Japanese tech publication <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://thebridge.jp/2015/03/retty-raised-1b-yen" target="_blank">The Bridge</a>.
The involvement of of Fidelity Growth Partners Japan in this round of funding indicates that Retty intends to expand abroad, a trend noted with other Japanese startups like <a href="http://www.metaps.com/" target="_blank">Metaps</a> and Kaizen Platform, who often tap their expertise for penetrating markets beyond Japan.
According to <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://jp.techcrunch.com/2015/03/16/jp20150316_retty/" target="_blank">TechCrunch Japan</a>, it will engage in a city-by-city expansion strategy in the US, with Singapore and Hong Kong targeted as key markets to penetrate in Asia.
However, its entry into international markets brings it into competition with established firms with large user bases like Yelp, which claims <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.yelp-press.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=250809&amp;p=irol-press" target="_blank">35 million monthly active users</a> and <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.yelp-ir.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=250809&amp;p=irol-newsArticle&amp;ID=2014264" target="_blank">reported annual revenue of $377.5 million</a>. India-based <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://zomato.com" target="_blank">Zomato</a> which is currently operating in 20 nations and whose <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.similarweb.com/website/zomato.com" target="_blank">website saw 11.6 million hits</a> per month in January and February 2015.
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Japanese startup Retty has secured Series C funding of US$8.24 million

Retty secures $8.24m Series C funding, plans Singapore expansion

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Retty secures $8.24m Series C funding, plans Singapore expansion

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