Social Network ‘ResearchGate’ – financed by Bill Gates
ResearchGate, a sort of LinkedIn for Scientists has 2.9 million users, and on Monday ResearchGate announced its third round of funding, 35 million USD, led by Bill Gates and Tenaya Capital.
ResearchGate was founded in 2008 by physicians Dr. Ijad Madisch and Dr. Sören Hofmayer, and computer scientist Horst Fickenscher. Researchers publish their findings, distribute them worldwide, and make a name for themselves on ResearchGate.
“Our goal is to free knowledge from the ivory tower, to digitalize it, and make it accessible for everyone in order to accelerate scientific progress,” said Ijad Madisch, co-founder and CEO of ResearchGate. “With Bill Gates and Tenaya Capital, we’re excited to add to our group of investors whose goals are perfectly in line with ours, and who understand the relevance of what we are doing – not only for science, but for society. To ensure everyone has the possibility to lead a healthy and productive life, science has to come up with new solutions to eradicate diseases and spread new knowledge quickly and effectively. We are building the digital infrastructure to make this happen.”