Lootsie (www.lootsie.com), a loyalty and rewards platform for mobile apps, Wednesday announced $3.5 million in seed funding. This round was comprised of investors that include: Tim Kendall, head of product management at Pinterest and former director of monetization for Facebook; Michael Liou, founding partner, Anvil Capital; Anthony Saleh, angel investor; and Brad Schwartz, founding partner at SLP Ventures, according to a press release.

Lootsie said in the announcement that it offers a new type of engagement platform for brands and developers that focuses exclusively on building quality connections between brands and their audience through loyalty, while improving user engagement and retention within apps. Since launching in 2012, the company has partnered with major retailers, brands and developers including SOL REPUBLIC, Manduka, Sevenlogics and All Shook Apps.

“The caliber of our investment team speaks volumes about the level of confidence in Lootsie and our ability to deliver a higher-performing alternative to banner ads,” Marc Mitchell, Lootsie co-founder and CEO, said in a statement. “Our core mission over the past two years has been to evolve the same loyalty programs that Fortune 500 companies have been using for decades into the mobile space turning loyalty programs mainstream for brands and developers of any size. In the process, we’ve built a strong product and foundation, and we’ve been fortunate to form some amazing brand and developer partnerships that have produced stellar results. Now, we’re full steam ahead as we enter the next phase of growth.”

Lootsie said it works similarly to the popular loyalty programs that airlines, credit cards and hotels offer, but is built to plug into any mobile app. Consumers earn points for hitting achievements within their apps and then can redeem those points for real-world rewards from any of Lootsie’s brand partners.

Lootsie said it is applying the funding to scale the platform and continue to help bridge the gap between brands and mobile users, while providing a product for developers that addresses the challenges of user retention and monetization head-on. The company's loyalty plug-in provides developers with an end-to-end loyalty program to power their points and rewards; brands with the ultimate engagement tool to build loyal fans; and the end user with exciting new ways to be rewarded by brands they love just for using their apps.