Fast-growing startup Twitter did end up joining the select group of startups valued at over $1 billion in private funding back in September of 2009. CEO Evan Williams disclosed the massive round to employees at a recent all-hands meeting.
The company aimed to raise around $50 million, although the final amount was apparently not locked down at first.
In the end, Twitter raised a staggering $800 million from investors Sequoia Capital, Spark Capital, Union Square Ventures and Insight Venture Partners. This far exceeded expectations and valued the company at over $1 billion - quadrupling its previous $250 million valuation from an earlier $35 million+ round led by Benchmark Capital and Institutional Venture Partners.
In updated insight, it was New York-based Insight Venture Partners that ultimately led the massive round as the primary investor. Twitter ended up raising four times the initial $50 million target given intense investor interest in backing the platform’s soaring growth.
Reaching the coveted billionaire threshold serves to validate Twitter’s mainstream staying power beyond early doubters. The company now boasts over 200 million active monthly users and plans to leverage its new financial war chest to accelerate product development and global expansion.