• March 21, 2008

Consumer electronics search site Retrevo has raised $8 million in a second-round venture financing led by Alloy Ventures and Norwest Venture Partners. The capital will be used to fund product development, new partnerships and consumer marketing efforts.

Started in 2005, Retrevo aims to simplify consumer electronics shopping by centralizing product reviews, manuals, price comparisons, and links to online retailers. The company relaunched its site just before the 2007 holiday season, adding features such as overall value and "community" ratings based on professional and user reviews.

In announcing the funding Thursday, Retrevo said it had quadrupled its number of users during the last year. The startup has raised a total of more than $12 million to date.

--Mark Walsh