JumpTap, the leading mobile search and advertising company, closed a Series D round of funding in excess of $26 million. The investment was led by AllianceBernstein L.P. (NYSE: AB), one of the largest publicly traded global asset management firms in the world with approximately $694 billion in assets under management. All existing investors also participated in the round including General Catalyst Partners, Summerhill Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, Valhalla Partners, and WPP.

The funding will be used to further develop JumpTap’s powerful mobile search and advertising solutions and to continue expansion of its global ad sales and operations divisions to meet increased demand from advertisers. According to eMarketer¹, worldwide spending on mobile advertising topped $2.7 billion last year and is expected to rise to $4.8 billion in 2008 and to $19.1 billion by 2012.

“Internet advertising is currently growing at a compound annual rate of 18.3% and will reach $73 billion in 2011. What is really exciting about mobile advertising is its ability to eclipse Internet advertising,” said Dan Olschwang, President and Chief Executive Officer of JumpTap.

Publishers and media companies look to JumpTap to streamline sales to brands and agencies and the structure to grow their mobile business on. By building the most relevant mobile experiences for the consumer, JumpTap is capitalizing on the opportunity by enabling advertisers, publishers and carriers alike to ensure a profitable position in the mobile advertising ecosystem.

JumpTap’s clients includes - NBC Universal, Fox Mobile Entertainment, US Cellular and other carriers as well as the recent openings of new offices in Madrid, Stockholm, and New York City.

Is this $26 million funding sufficient enough to compete with Google-Verizon partnership?