Softbank leads $12 million investment round in Goodmail Systems

Looking to expand, e-mail certification firm Goodmail Systems Inc. secured $12 million in venture funding in a round led by new investor SoftBank Capital.

SoftBank was joined in the round by previous investors DCM, which has invested in The New York Times Co.'s About.com, and Emergence Capital Partners, an investor in IBM and Salesforce.com.

"The newly announced round of funding will fuel market expansion," said Richard Gingras , CEO of Goodmail, Mountain View, CA. "With nearly 300 sending brands signed on to CertifiedEmail, a network of some 30 top e-mail service providers, e-mail technology vendors and others supporting CertifiedEmail, Goodmail is poised to take CertifiedEmail to the next level."

CertifiedEmail is an e-mail legitimacy program that gives accredited volume senders a secure, channel of communication with existing customers. Goodmail  launched the service with the support of major Internet service providers including AOL and Yahoo.

Eric Hippeau, managing partner at SoftBank, New Center, MA, will join Goodmail's board of directors. His background includes holding the position of chairman/CEO of Ziff-Davis and being instrumental in Softbank Inc.'s first investment in Yahoo in 1995.

Goodmail's board includes Dixon Doll, general partner at DCM; Jason Green, general partner at Emergence Capital Partners; former @Home executive Don Hutchinson; Scott Kurnit, founder and CEO of About Inc.; and Mr. Gingras.

"From Goodmail's perspective, the coming year will yield a great step forward in restoring reliability and trust to the medium," Mr. Gingras said.