DETROIT ? Stik, a social media company that moved to Detroit from San Francisco four months ago, announced Monday it has closed a $2.3 million Series A financing round co-led by North Coast Technology Ventures and Detroit Venture Partners.

Draper Associates, First Step Fund, the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and Automation Alley also participated in the round. Stik previously raised a $500,000 seed round led by Draper Associates.

Stik helps small companies that rely on word-of-mouth referrals acquire new business and build a reputation through the power of authentic online reviews. With more than 2.5 million recommendations and reviews, the site is a leader for online mortgage, insurance, real estate and home services reviews.

?Stik uniquely use the Facebook platform to solve several problems that plague review sites? credibility,? said Nathan Labenz, co-founder of Stik. ?By authenticating user actions via Facebook, we ensure that all reviews are written by real people. Moreover, we use the Facebook social graph to highlight service providers within individual consumers? personal networks.?

The fundraising announcement comes on the heels of Stik?s move from San Francisco to downtown Detroit?s emerging technology and innovation hub. Stik will use this latest round of funding to further expand its team, which has already more than doubled in size in the four months since moving to Detroit.

?The press is wrong about Detroit,? said Jay Gierak, Stik co-founder. ?This is the best place in America to build a business. Millions of talented, hard working and technically trained people proudly call this city their home. Detroiters are hungry for a new opportunity, and our company is thriving as a result.?

Gierak and Labenz are both from the Detroit area originally, and met while attending Harvard University. The team moved to Silicon Valley after graduation and launched Stik.com in 2010.

Josh Linkner, CEO and managing partner at Detroit Venture Partners, said the leaders of Stik ?have identified a very compelling void in the market, and we believe Stik will become the dominant source for professional referrals and own the category. The company?s momentum, combined with its leaders? vision and focus, will ensure Stik becomes one of the most valuable and recognized platforms online.?

Linkner founded Detroit Venture Partners with partner Dan Gilbert, founder and chairman of Quicken Loans.