Quixey, a mobile search engine which includes content within apps, raised $60 million in a funding round led by Alibaba, with other participants including SoftBank, Goldman Sachs, and GGV Capital.

“While deep linking and deep search is something that the mainstream public is just starting to come around to, it’s something we’ve been working on for five years and something that requires significant investment,” the company said in a statement.

“Our technology surfaces the functionality buried deep within apps and can search across any app to bring up core actions like booking a flight, reserving a restaurant, or researching a doctor,” it added.

Back in October, Jake Orrin, VP of business development for search provider Quixey, said he believes the dominance of app stores will soon be superseded by mobile search linking consumers directly to content within apps.