StepLeader, a spinout from Capitol Broadcasting’s New Media division, is about to step up the pace of its “app” building business after securing $4.4 million in venture funding.

The Raleigh-based company landed backing from Bull City Venture Partners, a new venture fund in Raleigh, and River Cities Capital Fund.

River Cities led the round.

Brian Handly, the chief executive officer of StepLeader and a long-time Triangle entrepreneur, also became an investor, he tells The Skinny. ( We have an exclusive interview with Handly as well/)

As part of the deal, Ed McCarthy and Rik Vandevenne of River Cities will sit on the StepLeader board.

David Jones of Bull City also joins the board.

(Note: Jones and co-partner Jason Caplain are launching Bull City with a target of raising $25 million. Both remain partners at Southern Capitol Ventures in Raleigh. We have more details.)

StepLeader traces its roots to 2004 when Capitol formed a company called NewsOverWireless. It was spun out as a separate company in 2012 with Handly hired as the CEO.

The venture funding is the first outside money the company has received, Handly says.

As an apps developer, StepLeader works with clients to deliver news, information and advertising.

“We are thrilled to partner with these two firms. Their operational expertise and business acumen will accelerate our ability to develop technology and reach new markets faster and more intelligently,” Handly said of the investors.

In a statement, McCarthy noted that the company “has proven that they can deliver effective local mobile solutions and have established an early leadership position in an emerging market opportunity.”

The investment by Bull City builds on a long-standing relationship between VCs Jones and Caplain and Capitol, which was one of the first investors in Southern Capitol. 

“We’ve been following StepLeader’s success and Brian Handly’s career for the last decade” Jones says of the latest deal. “Mobile usage continues to be an ever increasing proportion of consumers and the enterprise’s engagement. We are thrilled to partner with one of the largest mobile software and advertising platforms.”

Handly says the funding will be used to expand StepLeader’s hiring and development efforts in engineering, advertising and business development.

(Editor’s note: Capitol Broadcasting is the parent of WRALTechWire, which also is part of Capitol’s New Media division.)