Founded only 7 months ago, Android app developer APUS raises $100M funding

APUS Group, a mobile startup based jointly in the Silicon Valley and Beijing and founded by former Qihoo VP Tao Li, announced today that it has completed a US$100 million series B round. The round was led by Chengwei Capital, SIG, and Qiming Venture Partners. It also included contributions from the company’s series A investors, and brings the company’s total funding to US$116 million.

See: How a former Qihoo VP found success with a mobile startup called APUS

This latest round was built on the back of APUS Group’s success with an Android launcher app called APUS Launcher. The app boasts an impressive 70 million monthly active users worldwide, according to the company. APUS Group expects those numbers to grow as smartphone adoption grows, and as more Android users get interested in alternative homescreen user experiences like the one that APUS Launcher provides.

US$116 million in total funding is a pretty impressive number for APUS Group to pull in so soon. The company was founded less than a year ago (June 2014), and its founder Tao Li’s high level experience at Qihoo 360 is certainly part of what convinced investors that this company is in it for the long haul.

In addition to its popular Launcher app, APUS Group also offers a number of other APUS-branded apps, including APUS Booster, APUS Mobile Search, APUS App Radar, APUS Notification, and APUS Tools. The company’s focus is on creating mobile products that improve the user experience for Android owners. There are certainly plenty of competitors in that field, but this new round of investment will help give APUS Group the tools to fight them.