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Today’s funding and acquisitions roundup:
Buongiorno buys into mobile shopping with Glamoo (via GoMo News)
Zynga Confirms Softbank Investment. They’ll Confirm Google Investment Later (via TechCrunch)
Today’s funding and acquisitions roundup:
Adobe buys web software company for $240 million (via VentureBeat)
GameStop Gets Digital With Kongregate Buy (via gigaom)
GoodData secures another $6.5 million (via TechCrunch)
CloudMade Secures $12.3m Investment (via MobileMarketing Magazine)
eWise Raises $12 Million For Online Payments Technology (via TechCrunch)
Green building company Soladigm gets $6M to make smart windows (via DealsBeat)
As a follow-up to its company pitch (Coincident TV: 5/3/10), StartUp Beat did a Q&A with Coincident TV’s David Kaiser, the company’s co-founder and CEO, about its interactive video application.
SUB: How do new products like Google TV affect Coincident TV? Do you consider Google a competitor? How is your product different?
Kaiser: I view new products like Google TV and the growth of web television with excitement. Products like Google TV just mean that more doors are opening—and that the shift towards interactive online video viewing experiences is becoming a reality.
As consumers begin to adopt web TV more, Coincident TV can bring enhanced interactivity to all of these experiences, no matter what the platform or “screen.”
SUB: On the developer side, who are you targeting? Who do you hope adopts the technology?
Kaiser: We are currently targeting content creators and media companies, as well as the industrial and educational video markets.
CTV’s software suite, including a player, editor and analytics tool, gives content creators the freedom to seamlessly design, manage and measure hypervideo experiences. They can integrate pre-existing video content accessed from our source across the web, while enhancing navigation through creative hot-spotting, overlaying, picture-in-picture viewing, split screen, social media integration and other methods of engagement within the video player.
For media companies, CTV technology provides a true premium video solution that quickly and intuitively allows content producers to create revenue-building opportunities. These opportunities include new advertising platforms, educational videos, subscription TV models, increased brand integration and e-commerce while offering audiences dynamic engagement with characters, brands and stories.
SUB: On the viewer side, is a special CTV player needed to view videos and access the features you make available?
Kaiser: CTV was built to be easy to use and simple to integrate within existing video players and content. The software suite uses Coincident TV’s Cue Point Language, an XML-based language that is designed to work with digital video content available via the Internet, broadcast, DVD, tablets, mobile devices and more. The CTV editor then creates files that can play across any technology platform, including Flash, HTML5, Silverlight and more. That’s a huge win for our technology: build it once and it plays virtually anywhere.
SUB: What types of companies are you targeting for content partnerships? Are you casting a wide net or focusing on certain industries or types of media?
Kaiser: From day 1, our plan was to first target Hollywood studios and media companies for content partnerships, for several reasons. First, we wanted to showcase our technology to the largest possible audiences to fuel wider adoption. Second, we saw the big media companies as having the greatest need to find new ways to monetize their content online and offer more dynamic web experiences to their audiences.
We’ve been able to partner with multiple studios and thought leaders to demonstrate that Coincident TV is well worth embracing as a path to better, more lucrative online video experiences in the future.
Though the entertainment industry has been the first to adopt our technology, I see numerous long-term possibilities for CTV and our technology, namely in the educational and industrial markets. We are already turning our attention to these vast potential markets for our technology.
SUB: Besides the press/media, how are you getting the word out about CTV?
Kaiser: In addition to having a presence at relevant trade shows and conferences, we are spreading the word about CTV by working with influential players in relevant fields and exposing them to our technology through our private beta program. We’re also working closely with several major technology companies who can help us improve our product and refine our business model—even if these companies aren’t necessarily focused on creating web video content.
SUB: Are you or do you plan to look for more funding in the near future?
Kaiser: We’re always open to funding opportunities if it’s the right fit but we are currently focused on our private beta and securing more content partnerships.
SUB: Finally, what advice do you have for budding entrepreneurs that may be just starting out or thinking of starting a technology company?
Kaiser: My advice for those thinking of becoming an entrepreneur is to have patience. When starting any company, it takes time to raise funding, and of course, you don’t immediately see a profit. Instead of starting a company in a sector of technology that is saturated, find your niche and be the best. By filling a void in a particular area of technology that is untapped, you’re more likely to be successful.
The challenges you encounter only make the journey that much more exciting and rewarding when you finally introduce your technology to businesses and consumers.
Coincident TV – www.coincident.tv
Today’s funding and acquisitions roundup:
Skype founders place $6 million bet on MadBid.com (via VentureBeat)
Zattikka raises $5M to expand in social and mobile games (via GamesBeat)
Convoke Systems raises $5.5 million to help creditors collect debt (via VentureBeat)
From VentureBeat—this is an outstanding article by serial entrepreneur Steve Blank about the evolution of VCs and the IPO market. He sees 1979-2000 as essentially a period of irrational exuberance, and the period we’re currently in as part of a decade-long shakeout. While shakeouts, though painful, can be a good thing long-term, Blank makes a convincing argument that this one hasn’t been a net positive for some tech sectors (specifically those that require larger capital outlays): Startups: Welcome to the lost decade
Today’s funding and acquisitions roundup:
Betable secures $3 million to become the Twitter for betting (via TechCrunch)
Plum District gets $2.1M to bring daily deals to busy moms (via DealsBeat)
You may have thought sites like Elance and oDesk had the freelance market covered, but startup DoNanza is taking a novel approach to connecting free agents with work though an aggregator approach. Basically, DoNanza takes freelancer listings from across the Internet and aggregates them under a single search umbrella. The Tel Aviv, Israel-based company seems to be doing pretty well so far, with about 150K current listings and 100K or so visitors per month. Here’s more about the company via Anthony Ha at SocialBeat: DoNanza brings its freelance job listings to publishers
Today’s funding and acquisitions roundup:
Flipboard Buys Ellerdale, Launches Social Digital Magazine (via gigaom)
ThisNext raises more cash to focus on women’s shopping (via SocialBeat)
Data Management Virtualization Startup Actifio Raises $8 Million (via TechCruchIT)
With Traffic Surging, SB Nation Buys One Blog And Starts Another (via TechCrunch)
Mobile Technology Company Movitas Raises $3M, Goes After The Travel Industry (via TechCrunchIT)
Google Ventures backs Trada’s crowdsourced approach to search marketing (via MediaBeat)
Zattikka raises $5.5m for its browser and mobile social games (via TechCrunch)
Today’s funding and acquisitions roundup:
Predilect lands $750k for stronger security questions (via DealsBeat)
A survey of job seekers by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray, and Christmas that measures the percentage of those who opt to start a business, found the lowest two-quarter level of entrepreneurial activity on record. The company has been tracking the startup rate since 1986: LOWEST START-UP RATE ON RECORD AS JOBS, FRAGILE ECONOMY DETER ENTREPRENEURISM
Today’s funding and acquisitions roundup:
Pixazza raises $12 million to make images across the web interactive (via MobileBeat)
Compass Labs Raises $5 Million To Pinpoint Purchase Intent On Twitter (via TechCrunch)
Puppet Labs Gets $5M for Data Center Software (via gigaom)
Today’s funding and acquisitions news:
Smart Grid Company Trilliant Scores $106M In Funding – Next Up, An IPO? (via TechCrunch)
Gendai Games raises $1M in first round for game creation tools (via GamesBeat)
As a follow-up to its company pitch (CyberSynchs: 6/30/10), StartUp Beat did a Q&A with CyberSynchs’ Amos Winbush III, the company’s founder and CEO, about its cloud-based synchronization applications.
SUB: What are the key differentiators that distinguish the CyberSynchs service from other synchronization services?
Winbush: The CyberSynchs Mobile Product supports virtually all mobile devices within all cellular networks. Carriers such as Verizon support only 27 smart phone devices and just Palm and Windows operating systems. The CyberSynchs Mobile Product supports 98 percent of all mobile devices as well as Palm, Java, Windows, etc. operating systems. CyberSynchs is completely carrier and operating system agnostic. While Verizon has issues switching information from Windows to Palm or Blackberry to iPhone to JAVA, CyberSynchs is not limited. CyberSynchs Mobile Product has a remote wipe feature. This feature allows you to wipe out all information in your mobile device if lost, wirelessly. It also has a universal tracking system, something that Verizon lacks.
The CyberSynchs Universal Data Synchronization system has unique features that allows you to transfer content from your mobile device to any other consumer electronic device such as a printer, digital camera, smart headphones, etc. which is done wirelessly from any location in the world—i.e. a photo can be sent from your mobile device to your printer or a playlist can be sent from your PC to your headphones with just a click of a button on the application. No carriers offer anything like this. CyberSynchs has taken time to develop its applications while carriers such as Verizon and T-Mobile have taken only technical information to backend. They do support calendars, e-mails, address, and books, however they are found to have major issues with supporting media files and photos. CyberSynchs is able to breakdown the files or images into a generic language which are then sent through a patent transport format into the central node over cellular networks, wi-fi and servers, and encrypts the information so no one has access to it but the account holder.
SUB: Is the service platform/OS agnostic?
Winbush: Yes, CyberSynchs Universal Data Synchronization system support seven operating systems. Each operating system houses an application that communicates with our Central node and the device to receive and send binary and textual data.
SUB: How are you, or how do you plan to market the service, besides the Sun partnership and your plans for a retail push that you mentioned in your pitch?
Winbush: CyberSynchs has several partnerships currently with Samsung and Microsoft in addition to Sun Microsystems and Oracle. Currently, we are negotiating with several cable providers in the U.S. , Brazil and Chile to bring over 20 million homes access to CyberSynchs Universal Synching technology. The firm also has a strong B-to-C organic growth pattern where users can sign up for the system directly at CyberSynchs.com. We are very excited to debut our new CyberSynchs.com website within weeks to the public that will bring additional features and functions to the market.
SUB: What are your plans for the company for the next six months or so? Where do you see CyberSynchs by 2011 in terms of its market position?
Winbush: We are branching out into the overseas market and have begun partnering with major technology firms to integrate CyberSynchs into companies’ product offerings and devices.
SUB: What advice do you have for entrepreneurs just starting out, especially in a still-challenging economy?
Winbush: Try to not over think every little step. Build the product and release it to the market. Your users will give you valuable feedback on what they like or dislike. Focus on building partnerships with established brands. Build a great network of advisers and Exec within your team to support the growth of the company and product. Lastly—do not take “no” for an answer.
CyberSynchs – www.cybersynchs.com
Today’s funding and acquisitions roundup:
Here Comes Apple Earth. Map Startup Poly9 Reportedly Snatched Up By Cupertino (via TechCrunch)
ZocDoc raises $15M to schedule doctor’s appointments nationally (via VentureBeat)
Squarespace lands $38.5M to expand its web publishing platform (via VentureBeat)
Maverick Russian internet company DST scores $388M in cash from strategic investor (via DealsBeat)
Today’s funding and acquisitions roundup:
Gaming-Focused Social Network hi5 Raises $14 Million (via TechCrunch)
Kleiner, Sherpalo add $8M to mobile ad network InMobi (via MobileBeat)
MobileIron raises $16 million to manage employee smartphones (via DealsBeat)
Wellcore secures $2M for fall detection system (via DealsBeat)
Moxsie gets $3.7M for members only shopping site (via DealsBeat)
WebFilings brings in $5.1M to streamline SEC filing process (via DealsBeat)
Company: MyBankTracker.com
Website: www.mybanktracker.com
Headquarters: New York City
Year Founded: 2008
Founders: Alex Matjanec, Tadas J. Nikulin and Jason Reposa
Investors: Self-funded
Employees: 7
Company Description:
“Coined the Google for banks, MyBanktracker.com offers consumers information about banks in order to help them make smart banking decisions”
By Alex Matjanec, Co-founder,
The concept to launch MyBankTracker.com began in early 2008, when Tadas J. Nikulin, Jason Reposa and I saw a need to shift the way banking information was presented by providing a more consumer-oriented personal finance portal.
Headquartered in New York City’s DUMBO neighborhood, MyBankTracker.com helps consumers make informed banking decisions and save money—and it is available free of charge to the consumer. To meet the growing demand for easier access to clear information about the best banks and rates in the country, we provide an easy-to-use web portal that lets consumers rate and review banks, compare interest rates and learn more about the savings and investment options to best meet their goals.
Now, more than 200,000 unique monthly visitors later, we track more than 50,000 state based products and more banks than any other site in the industry—more than 1,000 to date—with rates for CDs, savings, checking, mortgage, credit card and home equity line of credit accounts updated daily to provide the most current information that helps consumers find the best rates at more banks across the country.
A clutter-free interface and jargon-free language are part of our effort to make MyBankTracker.com one of the most consumer-friendly financial education sites available. With transparency as its guiding principle, MyBankTracker.com gives users a social tool to access banking information; ask financial questions, voice opinions and share experiences on neutral turf.
We didn’t develop MyBankTracker.com to try and convince people to simply change accounts or banks; we are providing information—so, when the time is right, the consumer can have meaningful discussions about the benefits and service offerings from their bank or with other banks.
And, of course, we think it’s crucial that banking customers—our users—get their input.
MyBankTracker’s new review system lets current banking customers rate their banking experience in 5 categories (based on a 5-star rating system) and leave a comment describing their experience. Peer ratings and reviews for all the major banking institutions in the U.S. enable MyBankTracker.com users to learn from one another about different product options and customer service experiences.
Revenue generation is accomplished through niche advertising partnerships. We only partner with brands that fit our mission and messaging. Banks choose to advertise with us because of our transparency and reporting integrity; they want to be associated with our brand and are not afraid of positive or negative reviews. Collecting, analyzing and filtering thousands of bank product data points allows us to support banks by becoming a resource to support their competitive goals.
While the size of our team fluctuates between 5-9 employees, we are constantly looking for new talent. At this time, developers are our main priority, but writers who can contribute content are always considered. That being said, we as a company believe in staying lean, without stunting growth opportunities. As a self-funded entity, we like to grow at an even pace, and we take that mission very seriously—especially when we make the decision to add a new member to the team or launch a marketing campaign.
MyBankTracker.com - www.mybanktracker.com
Today’s funding and acquisitions roundup:
Performance-based online advertising company Adsmarket raises $17 million (via TechCrunch)
Update: Playdom Paid At Least $850,000 For Hive7 (via TechCrunch)
Today’s funding and acquisitions roundup:
U.S. Venture Capital Fundraising Up 13 Percent In First Half Of 2010 To $7.5B (via TechCrunch)
eMeter Smart Grid Software Company Raises $12.5 Million (via TechCrunch)
Coveroo Raises $2.3 Million For Custom-Engraved Mobile Cases (via TechCrunch)
XGraph grabs $3.75M for social advertisement targeting (via DealsBeat)
Funding and acquisitions roundup:
BuyWithMe puts $16M in its cart to expand local discounts to new cities (via SocialBeat)
Synchronoss Technologies buys mobile sync firm FusionOne for up to $75M (via MobileBeat)
Kids Clothing Swap ThredUP Raises $1.4M From Trinity Ventures, Founder Collective And Others (via TechCrunch)
Company: OneRoof
Website: www.oneroof.com
Headquarters: San Francisco. CA
Year Founded: 2005
Founders: Dwight Wilson, Miguel Raimilla, and Eric Spector
Investors: Angel investors
Employees: 23
Company Description:
“OneRoof's goal is to make a difference by facilitating sustainability of public computing worldwide by providing quality software at no cost”
By Eric Spector, CEO
We founded OneRoof, a company of entrepreneurs and philanthropic-minded backers, in October 2005 to franchise cyber cafés in the developing world and to offer a range of Internet-enabled services in small rural towns such as: email and browsing, financial services, insurance, rail/bus/air ticketing, education, and job skills training. OneRoof opened scores of browsing centers in rural Tamil Nadu state in southern India, and in the states of Campeche, Veracruz and Yucatan of rural Mexico.
After some time working with their browsing centers, we discovered a need for timely information from their locations in India and Mexico. This led us to research most point-of-sale (POS) software products, and they eventually chose CyberCafePro for use in our businesses. In 2008, we moved beyond the rudimentary reporting features of the otherwise solid CyberCafePro by creating a robust, web-based online management information system. Initially, this work was done for internal purposes, but over time OneRoof began to garner interest in licensing our software from colleagues working in government-funded telecentre networks, from owners of private cyber cafés and from government officials around the world.
After acquiring CyberCafePro, in February 2010 OneRoof launched our online MIS called OneRoof Reports, a subscription-based service that is tightly integrated with CyberCafePro. OneRoof Reports provides enterprise multi-unit, 24x7 anywhere-access to intuitive, graphical reporting of company sales, program usage, popular websites visited, percent computer utilization by time of day, employee management and anti-pilferage tools, operations expense tracking and more—integrated with CCP, and available via modestly priced subscriptions. At present, both cyber cafés and telecentres extensively use OneRoof Reports and CyberCafePro to better serve their communities and enhance their sustainability practices.
Before OneRoof I built numerous consumer-oriented businesses, including a national direct mail catalog house and online restaurant reservation service as well as authoring SaaS software to capture email prospects and online donations for nonprofits (such as Save the Children). My previous experience in these fields led the development of the MIS initiative and SaaS offerings for OneRoof. I am a graduate of the City College of New York, and a former Peace Corps Volunteer, Harvard MBA and McKinsey consultant.
In recent months OneRoof was able to make our market-leading POS software, CyberCafePro (previously selling for up to $1,499) free by the adoption of advertising support through a single ad banner display at the bottom of all client (or customer) desktops. As a result, CyberCafePro now makes the Internet universally available to all public access locations—thus indirectly helping people’s aspirations, freedoms and quality of life. CyberCafePro has come a long way and in its current version is widely used in over 175 countries. Each download of CyberCafePro is also combined with a free 30-day trial of OneRoof Reports—the very first 24x7 online management information service that allows cyber cafés and Internet providers around the world to better manage employees, volunteers and the public’s use of the computers.
Additionally, OneRoof offers a customized personal web bookmarking service called “OneRoof Bookmarks”—accessible online, with individual bookmark access no longer dependent on the particular computer or browser being used.
OneRoofBookmarks.com is easy to use and allows subscribers to rename any of 12 category titles provided, change their order, layout and even background colors. Users are also able to enter any custom web search just once—and instantly see different results from Google, Yahoo, Bing and Wikipedia side-by-side; as well as add the user’s live Facebook “window,” the user’s own live Twitter feed and the user’s favorite RSS feeds, all in one place, all under “OneRoof.” Subscribers can even collaboratively share personalized OneRoof Bookmarks versions among friends, family or colleagues (e.g. for use in schools, workplaces). Best of all, OneRoof Bookmarks is free.
On June 7, 2010 we announced that we had closed a Series A preferred round of funding totaling $3.4 million delivering this funding announcement on the brink of our latest product release, CyberCafePro 6.0.
In the announcement I was quoted as saying: “This latest round of funding will allow us to continue our mission to do well and do good by facilitating Internet access and thus enhancing people’s aspirations, freedoms and quality of life. Already, as a result of CyberCafePro 6.0, countless people have new information at their fingertips—and such global communications will continue to rapidly expand.”
One of the goals of OneRoof is to maximize Internet access globally. It fulfills this mission primarily through the use of its software (the free CyberCafePro, and its unique online enterprise OneRoof Reports SaaS) and ultimately bridging the digital divide globally. OneRoof also devotes a percentage of its profits to organizations and nonprofit initiatives that support the extension of public access computing globally.
OneRoof’s revenue model is based on OneRoof Reports subscription plans and advertising channels within their software, one of which is the world’s first global captive advertising channel to the emerging middle class that accesses the Internet via public computer facilities (a daily audience exceeding 100 million people). OneRoof expects to seek a Series B round of funding this coming fall.
OneRoof - www.oneroof.com
Today’s funding and acquisitions roundup:
Venrock showcases VC trend, raises small $350M fund (via VentureBeat)
Now Google Backs TechHub, The London Base For Startups (via TechCrunch)
Funding and acquisitions roundup at the tail end of a holiday weekend:
My-Wardrobe secures $9 million Series A lead by Balderton to expand abroad (via TechCrunch)
Today’s funding and acquisitions roundup—happy Friday!:
Life science startup Ingenuity Systems brings in $15.4M (via DealsBeat)
Invuity raises $13.2M for medical illumination instruments (via DealsBeat)
Today’s funding and acquisitions roundup:
HP closes deal on $1.2B acquisition of Palm (via MobileBeat)
Omidyar Network Hands $2.3M In Grants To Global Voices, mySociety and The XYZ Show (via TechCrunch)
Local.com Buys Domain Advertising Company OCTANE360 For Up To $11M (via TechCrunch)
