Baltimore’s OpiaTalk (TechBUZZ ’14 Fall) closes $500K bridge round

Baltimore-based OpiaTalk has raised $500,000 to put toward making its e-commerce widget available on mobile devices.

The bridge round of funding was backed by angel investors and TEDCO’s Propel Baltimore Fund.

OpiaTalk creates widgets to embed in retailer’s websites that will offer a limited time deal. The time-sensitive nature of the promotion (it’s good for just 15 minutes) is intended to push more visitors to make a purchase. The widget’s success rate in driving purchases varies. During a Cyber Monday promotion with an online retailer, which Popomaronis declined to name, 22 percent of people who received the promotion made a purchase.

New funding will go toward making the widget available for client’s mobile websites. People are increasingly browsing the web across multiple devices, which means OpiaTalk will have a better chance of landing new clients if it can help drive more sales on smartphones, as well as on home computers.

The $500,000 will also go toward growing OpiaTalk’s client base. The startup’s existing clients include Skype, Rosetta Stone and blu eCigs, an e-cigarette maker.

Popomaronis already has his eye on more funding. This time he is looking to raise $1.5 million in a seed round, which he hopes to close by the end of the first quarter.

OpiaTalk