Chicago-based Groupon has secured $30 million in new funding to expand its service of offering local coupons via online communities from 26 cities to 76.
The Chicago Tribune reports that Accel Partners led the new round of funding -- a firm that has also invested in Facebook. The new cities will go live in 2010.
Groupon founder Andrew Mason said: "All around, it's been a great year [...] We knew some extra money could help us increase our rate of customer acquisition and focus on building new technology, and, just in general, grow faster."
The Groupon Web site states, "Each day, Groupon emails you one exclusive, unbeatable deal on the best things to do, see, eat, and buy." Deals can go up to 50 to 90 percent off.
Cities currently participating in Groupon are:
-Albuquerque
-Atlanta
-Austin
-Baltimore
-Boston
-Chicago
-Cincinnati
-Cleveland
-Columbus
-Dallas
-Detroit
-Fort Worth
-Fresno
-Houston
-Indianapolis
-Kansas City
-Las Vegas
-Los Angeles
-Louisville
-Memphis
-Milwaukee
-Minneapolis/St. Paul
-Nashville
-New York
-Oklahoma City
-Philadelphia
-Phoenix
-Pittsburgh
-Portland
-Raleigh
-San Antonio
-San Diego
-San Francisco
-San Jose
-Seattle
-Tampa Bay
-Virginia Beach
-Washington DC