BURLINGTON, Vt. -

Dealer.com revealed Thursday that venture capital and growth equity firm Accel Partners — which invested early in the game in Facebook, Groupon and Rovio/Angry — has now invested in the Vermont-based online auto marketing provider.

Accel now has a minority ownership stake in Dealer.com, and partner Todd MacLean is set to come aboard Dealer.com’s board of directors. He fills the spot Don Hall vacated.

“We are excited by the opportunity to partner with one of the world’s most successful technology investors,” said Dealer.com chief executive officer Mark Bonfigli. “We view the backing of Accel Partners as a vote of confidence in Dealer.com’s mission to become the preeminent digital marketing partner for the automotive industry and look forward to their guidance and counsel as we continue growing and developing valuable solutions for our customers.”

MacLean chimed in, noting: “We are thrilled to partner with Mark, Rick and the rest of the team at Dealer.com and look forward to helping them continue to grow an exceptional company.

“Over the past year and a half, we’ve come to know and admire the company and its core values. While we are clearly impressed by their industry leading technology platform, it is the ability and passion of the team and the incredible culture they’ve built over time that truly differentiates Dealer.com in our eyes,” he added.

MacLean went on to note: “At Accel, we believe that with continued expansion of new distribution channels and increasingly decentralized decision-making, the key to a software company’s success today has very much reverted to basics — building truly great products that customers love to use. In this regard, Dealer.com’s long list of ‘raving fans’ and industry awards is great testimony to its historic success. Perhaps more importantly, we believe the company’s emphasis on building a deep-rooted culture — which allows it to attract, retain and motivate great people — will drive continued, repeatable success in the future.”

Dealer.com shared some of the growth it has seen in recent years, noting that its 2010 revenues of $85 million represented more than a 60-percent year-over-year hike. Moreover, 2010 revenue was more than three times the revenue from 2008.

The company also pointed out that it more than doubled R&D spending last year and brought in more retail and OEM clients.

Bonfigli stated: “As the online and social media landscapes continue to evolve at an increasingly rapid pace, our partnership with Accel will strengthen our ability to transform the experience in the automotive industry.”