Zoopla, a website that combines property listings with community information, has secured £3.75 million to develop its technology and ramp up marketing.

Zoopla, a website that combines property listings with community information, has secured £3.75 million to develop its technology and ramp up marketing.

The Series B round was led by Octopus Ventures, which invested £2 million through Octopus Titan VCTs 1, 2 and 3, Octopus Eureka EIS and the Octopus Private Investor Group. The balance of the money comes from existing investors in the company.

Zoopla was launched in January last year by CEO Alex Chesterman, who is also the co-founder of former Octopus portfolio company ScreenSelect.co.uk (now LOVEFILM.com).

The website provides data on house prices, free valuation estimates and listings of properties for sale. It plans to introduce estate agents’ listings on a pay-for-performance basis.

Alex Macpherson, chief executive of Octopus Venutres, says, ‘There is a clear gap in the market for a service that integrates the requirements of buyers, sellers, owners and estate agents by providing much more transparent and comprehensive information on the UK housing market.’