App recommendations service and ad network AppTap has secured US$4 million in funding, from investors led by Syncom Venture Partners and existing investor New Atlantic Ventures.

The cash will be partly used to improve the company's app recommendations service, which provides more than 150 million app recommendations per month across an international network of media properties and operators. AppTap also plans to broaden its app advertising capabilities for developers and expand its distribution partnerships.

“Apps are changing where we go for entertainment, games, lifestyle and simple utilities; yet, the way we’ve historically discovered apps and the way developers market them has been too narrow. AppTap places the apps next to content you’re reading or viewing, making the app discovery process serendipitous,” said New Atlantic Ventures managing partner and AppTap board member John Backus.

AppTap’s services include helping consumers find apps that match their interests based on websites they visit and online articles they read. Joining the AppTap community using Facebook credentials means users can share apps with friends. Meanwhile, app developers can broaden their audience through paid app sponsorships on AppTap’s network, which sees their apps promoted to consumers based on the content they search for.