WhenU.com, an online adware/Internet marketing company based in NYC, has received $15 million in funding from Trident Capital, signaling renewed investor interest in the adware market. This comes a week after rumors of Microsoft being interested in rival Claria came out.

With an earlier $20 million investment from ABS Capital Partners, WhenU has raised a total of $35 million in VC funding in its first round.

Bill Day, CEO of WhenU (a co-founder and CEO at About.com until 2003) began instituting changes to his company’s practices when he arrived at there last October. He wanted to draw the lines more clearly between what his company does and what spyware does, he said. “Someone could be confused,” he acknowledged.

Also read: “Questions for WhenU’s Bill Day”