App search company Quixey announced a US$20 million funding round, stating it will use the cash “to expand its world-class team, drive global partnerships and further develop the company’s ground breaking Functional Search technology.”

The company said that its offering differs from other app searches, by locating apps based on user needs, rather than by keywords. It said that Functional Search works by gathering data from blogs, review sites, social media outlets and across the web, to learn what an app can do.

Tomer Kagan, founder and CEO of the company, said: “millions of apps exist and thousands more are being created every day across all platforms, but people can't find apps in the moments they need them.”

The company said that it “partners with everyone, from mobile manufacturers and browsers to search engines and carriers, to power app search across every platform and device.”

Funding has been provided by Atlantic Bridge, SK Planet and TransLink Capital, with follow-on investments from US Venture Partners, WI Harper Group, and Eric Schmidt’s Innovation Endeavors.

To date, Quixey has raised US$24.2 million.