UPDATED 15:45 EST / JULY 26 2011

LucidChart Raises $1M for HTML5 Collaboration App

LucidChart, the maker of a web-based diagramming and collaboration app, has raised $1 in seed funding from 500 Startups, 2M Companies, K9 Ventures and other angel investors. CEO Karl Sun says the capital will be used to expand the startup’s team and enhance its existing offering.

Dave McClure of 500 Startups says “we all want to communicate visually, but until now there have not been good web tools for doing so. LucidChart showcases what graphical web applications can do, and the power of web technologies today.”

LucidChart offers a web-app, ranked the number one paid app in the Chrome marketplace, which lets individuals collaborate on visual charts using a very simple interface. Users can create websites or app mock-ups, process diagrams, organization charts, mind-maps, etc. in real-time, similar to what Google Docs offers, but with a focus on collaboration. HTML5 is being adopted at an extremely rapid rate among app developers, most recently by Kobo. A new HTML5-optimized iOS app currently under development will be used to bypass Apple’s new no-in-app-links code.

LucidChart has a freemium model with a number of plans, including team accounts starting at $25 a month for 5 GB storage and up to 25 MB for free users.

The previous update we’ve had from LucidChart was all the way back at the Google I/O conference, when the startup rolled out the latest version of the app. They introduced an offline version, and several improvements to the existing engine.

The collaboration space is certainly heating up, as the web and connected devices are able to provide virtual work spaces that support real-time capabilities.  On the file-sharing end, YouSendIt had a major update today, offering storage, collaboration and management tools for files and folders.

Beyond the collaboration space, innovation is spurring investor activity in the web space.  Another recent startup to raise funds is MoboTap, adding up $10 million in a first round of funding led by Sequoia Capital and Matrix Partners. MoboTap is the developer of the Dolphin Android browser, and will use the capital to expand its team and partner base.


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