Tuesday, April 25, 2006
JBoss CEO: Buyout talk got 'out of hand' | CNET News.com
"One industry executive at a JBoss competitor said in late February that discussions between the Oracle and JBoss broke down over price, with JBoss insisting on selling for 20 times its current revenue. "
Motricity lands Advanced Equities investment - WRAL Local Tech Wire
"Rapidly growing Motricity is planning to hire even more people, beef up internal operations and looking for possible acquisitions after landing another $40 million in venture capital.
Motricity, a developer of mobile content and applications, has now raised more than $120 million in the history of the firms that now make up the Durham-based company. Pinpoint Communications and PowerbyHand merged to form Motricity.
The latest round comes on the heels of a $30-million round raised in July of last year. Motricity raised $27 million in 2004 following the merger of the two companies.
Advanced Equities led the round. Also participating were New Enterprise Associates, Technology Crossover Ventures and Motricity’s North Carolina investors, including the Wakefield Group."
Motricity, a developer of mobile content and applications, has now raised more than $120 million in the history of the firms that now make up the Durham-based company. Pinpoint Communications and PowerbyHand merged to form Motricity.
The latest round comes on the heels of a $30-million round raised in July of last year. Motricity raised $27 million in 2004 following the merger of the two companies.
Advanced Equities led the round. Also participating were New Enterprise Associates, Technology Crossover Ventures and Motricity’s North Carolina investors, including the Wakefield Group."
Skype - Yahoo! Finance#ebay
"EBAY announces license agreements for worldwide distribution rights to potentially hundreds of thousands of musical works as ringtones for Skype. The agreements are with three major music publishing companies (EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing, and Warner/Chappell Music) and the UK's collecting society for author/publisher rights, the MCPS-PRS Alliance. The new licenses will allow Skype to lawfully distribute master tones from the roster of current partner Warner Music Group (WMG)."
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Corel | Reuters.com
"Three years after being taken private, computer software maker Corel Corp. is set for a public resurrection Tuesday; but powerful competition, a rugged financial past and possibly limited growth opportunities may scare investors off, analysts said last week."
Atheros reported to acquire Taiwan-based WLAN chipmaker ZyDAS
"WLAN solution provider Atheros Communications has entered into an agreement to acquire Taiwan-based WLAN chipmaker ZyDAS Technology, a 70%-owned subsidiary of Zyxel Communications, the Chinese language Commercial Times reported today, citing market sources. However, Atheros Taiwan and Zyxel both denied the report.
ZyDAS was the second largest maker of USB-based integrated baseband/MAC chips in Taiwan in 2005, shipping a total of 7.2 million units for the year, according to a previous report."
ZyDAS was the second largest maker of USB-based integrated baseband/MAC chips in Taiwan in 2005, shipping a total of 7.2 million units for the year, according to a previous report."
WordPerfect software provider Corel set to go public - Apr. 23, 2006
"Corel, once one of Canada's biggest software companies, is set to go public again this week, but the company's flagship product may be a relic of the computer age.
Corel, a provider of word processing and digital imaging software, plans to sell 8 million shares Tuesday at an estimated price of $18 to $20 a share. Morgan Stanley and J.P. Morgan are the lead underwriters of the deal. The company is expected to trade on the Nasdaq under the symbol 'CREL' and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol 'CRE.'"
Corel, a provider of word processing and digital imaging software, plans to sell 8 million shares Tuesday at an estimated price of $18 to $20 a share. Morgan Stanley and J.P. Morgan are the lead underwriters of the deal. The company is expected to trade on the Nasdaq under the symbol 'CREL' and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol 'CRE.'"
Riverbed Makes it Official (Byte and Switch)
"As expected, Riverbed Technology is looking to go public, using the emerging WAN optimization market and its strong partnerships as the springboard.
The startup filed for an IPO with the SEC after hours last night, one day after Byte and Switch reported it was poised to take the plunge. (See Sources: Riverbed Reaches for IPO. Riverbed is looking to raise $74.75 million in the offering; Sachs & Co., Citigroup, Deutsche Bank Securities, and Thomas Weisel Partners LLC are the underwriters.
Riverbed did not disclose the estimated price of shares, number of shares, nor the target date for the offering but it is not expected to price shares until the second half of the year.
In the filing, the startup revealed it has yet to make a profit. Riverbed lost $17.4 million in 2005, which followed $9.8 million in losses in 2004. Riverbed and its investors apparently were satisfied with its revenue growth last year, however. Revenue jumped from $2.5 million in 2004 to $22.9 million last year. The vendor also reported 68 customers for its Steelhead appliances in 2004 and 501 new customers last year.
According to the filing, Riverbed's revenue for the fourth quarter of 2005 was about $10.1 million, up from $7 million the previous quarter.
Riverbed's revenue is expected to receive a boost from OEM deals with Hewlett-Packard and switch vendor McData. (See McData Hits Remote Control and HP Upgrade Features OEM Crowd.) The filing says it has customers through those partners but has not recognized revenue yet. The HP deal started last June, and McData began its OEM deal with Riverbed in March.
According to Infonetics Research, the fast-growing WAN optimization appliance market increased 49% worldwide in 2005 to $236 million, and unit shipments increased 39%. Infonetics forecasts double-digit annual growth a"
The startup filed for an IPO with the SEC after hours last night, one day after Byte and Switch reported it was poised to take the plunge. (See Sources: Riverbed Reaches for IPO. Riverbed is looking to raise $74.75 million in the offering; Sachs & Co., Citigroup, Deutsche Bank Securities, and Thomas Weisel Partners LLC are the underwriters.
Riverbed did not disclose the estimated price of shares, number of shares, nor the target date for the offering but it is not expected to price shares until the second half of the year.
In the filing, the startup revealed it has yet to make a profit. Riverbed lost $17.4 million in 2005, which followed $9.8 million in losses in 2004. Riverbed and its investors apparently were satisfied with its revenue growth last year, however. Revenue jumped from $2.5 million in 2004 to $22.9 million last year. The vendor also reported 68 customers for its Steelhead appliances in 2004 and 501 new customers last year.
According to the filing, Riverbed's revenue for the fourth quarter of 2005 was about $10.1 million, up from $7 million the previous quarter.
Riverbed's revenue is expected to receive a boost from OEM deals with Hewlett-Packard and switch vendor McData. (See McData Hits Remote Control and HP Upgrade Features OEM Crowd.) The filing says it has customers through those partners but has not recognized revenue yet. The HP deal started last June, and McData began its OEM deal with Riverbed in March.
According to Infonetics Research, the fast-growing WAN optimization appliance market increased 49% worldwide in 2005 to $236 million, and unit shipments increased 39%. Infonetics forecasts double-digit annual growth a"
Verisign / Kontiki acquisition price less than $1M (Rafat)
"Verisign's Mobile Content Revenues Keeps Tanking; Profits About Steady [by Rafat]
Updated: VeriSign has a lemon on its hands, and it either needs to get rid of it, or whip it up in shape through its recent acquisition of mQube. It announced its Q1 earnings, and on the mobile content side (its content group within VeriSign Communications Services division) posted revenues of $78 million, which includes $77 million for Jamba!/Jamster B2C services and $1 million from acquisitions of 3united and Kontiki, which closed during the quarter."
Updated: VeriSign has a lemon on its hands, and it either needs to get rid of it, or whip it up in shape through its recent acquisition of mQube. It announced its Q1 earnings, and on the mobile content side (its content group within VeriSign Communications Services division) posted revenues of $78 million, which includes $77 million for Jamba!/Jamster B2C services and $1 million from acquisitions of 3united and Kontiki, which closed during the quarter."
Friday, April 21, 2006
RED HERRING | Cape Clear Sails off with $15M
"Cape Clear Software secured $15 million in a fourth round of funding Friday led by InterWest Partners, allowing the web services software developer to expand further internationally.
Other firms that were repeat investors in the company joined in the funding, including Accel Partners, ACT Venture Capital, and Greylock Partners.
The company plans to use the extra financing to open more offices throughout the United States, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. In addition to its headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts, the company also has offices in Atlanta; San Mateo, California; London; and Dublin, Ireland.
Cape Clear specializes in helping companies develop applications around web services in the service-oriented architecture (SOA) market with technology that it calls an enterprise service bus (ESB). The technology enables companies to tie together their different legacy applications through web-based software."
Other firms that were repeat investors in the company joined in the funding, including Accel Partners, ACT Venture Capital, and Greylock Partners.
The company plans to use the extra financing to open more offices throughout the United States, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. In addition to its headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts, the company also has offices in Atlanta; San Mateo, California; London; and Dublin, Ireland.
Cape Clear specializes in helping companies develop applications around web services in the service-oriented architecture (SOA) market with technology that it calls an enterprise service bus (ESB). The technology enables companies to tie together their different legacy applications through web-based software."
RED HERRING | Jingle Rings Up $26 Million
"Jingle Networks, a provider of U.S. advertising-supported directory assistance, said Thursday it had raised $26 million in its second round of financing.
The funding was led by previous investor Liberty Associated Partners and included First Round Capital, IDG Ventures Boston, and Comcast Interactive Capital.
Menlo Park, California-based Jingle Network�s service, 1-800-FREE411, connects users to their requested look-up after playing a 10- to 12-second advertisement for a similar service. That�s in contrast to the $1 to $2 charged by paid directory assistance companies.
Jingle, which is less than one year old, claims at least 2 percent of users choose to be connected to the advertiser rather than their original request.
In March, the company handled 7 million calls from 3 million unique customers. That�s enough, said founder and chief technology officer Scott Kliger, to start actively soliciting advertisers, especially local businesses��the dentist, the travel agent, the beauty salon,� Mr. Kliger said�in contrast to a national brand like Domino's Pizza. "
The funding was led by previous investor Liberty Associated Partners and included First Round Capital, IDG Ventures Boston, and Comcast Interactive Capital.
Menlo Park, California-based Jingle Network�s service, 1-800-FREE411, connects users to their requested look-up after playing a 10- to 12-second advertisement for a similar service. That�s in contrast to the $1 to $2 charged by paid directory assistance companies.
Jingle, which is less than one year old, claims at least 2 percent of users choose to be connected to the advertiser rather than their original request.
In March, the company handled 7 million calls from 3 million unique customers. That�s enough, said founder and chief technology officer Scott Kliger, to start actively soliciting advertisers, especially local businesses��the dentist, the travel agent, the beauty salon,� Mr. Kliger said�in contrast to a national brand like Domino's Pizza. "
RCRNews.com - QCOM MediaFlo
"Qualcomm Inc. gained approval Wednesday for an agreement it reached with TV stations serving Chicago, Milwaukee and Gary, Ind. that will allow the company to move forward with its MediaFlo steaming content plans.
MediaFlo is a one-way, high-speed network using spectrum Qualcomm obtained after a bitter dispute with the Federal Communications Commission dating back to the early 1990�s."
MediaFlo is a one-way, high-speed network using spectrum Qualcomm obtained after a bitter dispute with the Federal Communications Commission dating back to the early 1990�s."
Benchmark Capital: Silicon Valley Team: General Partners: Peter Fenton
"Peter Fenton joined Benchmark Capital in 2006 after spending seven years as a partner with Accel Partners, where his investment interests included software, digital media, and technology enabled services.
Prior to joining the venture capital community, he spent several years working with Silicon Valley software and high-technology companies as an entrepreneur and strategy consultant. He was an early employee at Virage, a multimedia information retrieval company that went public on the NASDAQ in 2000. Peter also worked as a management consultant at Bain & Company in San Francisco, where he advised high-technology businesses in Silicon Valley on their product and business strategies.
Investments: Aptana, Apexon, Coremetrics, JBoss, Mendocino Software, Oak Pacific Interactive, Reactivity, Terracotta, Wily Technology, Xensource, and Zimbra.
Education: MBA from Stanford Business School, Arjay Miller Scholar; BA from Stanford University, Phi Beta Kappa."
Prior to joining the venture capital community, he spent several years working with Silicon Valley software and high-technology companies as an entrepreneur and strategy consultant. He was an early employee at Virage, a multimedia information retrieval company that went public on the NASDAQ in 2000. Peter also worked as a management consultant at Bain & Company in San Francisco, where he advised high-technology businesses in Silicon Valley on their product and business strategies.
Investments: Aptana, Apexon, Coremetrics, JBoss, Mendocino Software, Oak Pacific Interactive, Reactivity, Terracotta, Wily Technology, Xensource, and Zimbra.
Education: MBA from Stanford Business School, Arjay Miller Scholar; BA from Stanford University, Phi Beta Kappa."
SiliconBeat: Fenton bolts Accel, joins Benchmark
"The departure is fresh, because Fenton is still listed on Accel's site, as of this posting at least. (Update: As of Thursday morning, we see Fenton's bio has gone)
This comes two years after another Accel partner, Jim Goetz left the firm to join another top-notch Silicon Valley firm, Sequoia Capital.
Granted, this doesn't necessarily mean there is anything wrong at Accel. Sequoia and Benchmark are known as the most aggressive firms in Silicon Valley, so this may be more a question of poaching than any serious dissatisfaction with the Breyer's compensation structure -- but truth is, we don't know."
This comes two years after another Accel partner, Jim Goetz left the firm to join another top-notch Silicon Valley firm, Sequoia Capital.
Granted, this doesn't necessarily mean there is anything wrong at Accel. Sequoia and Benchmark are known as the most aggressive firms in Silicon Valley, so this may be more a question of poaching than any serious dissatisfaction with the Breyer's compensation structure -- but truth is, we don't know."
RED HERRING | Jajah Takes New Money Call
"Fresh on the heels of its first round of funding, Jajah on Wednesday said it has received a second round of investment that will allow the VoIP service provider to grow its business in the Asian market.
The VoIP upstart announced its initial investment last month from Sequoia Capital for an undisclosed amount. It then said it had moved its headquarters from Europe to Menlo Park, California, and launched the company as a U.S.-based firm (see Hello, It's Jajah Calling).
Globespan Capital led Jajah�s second round of financing for an undisclosed amount. The venture capital firm, which has one of its three offices in Tokyo, has emerged as a specialist at helping startups gain access to the Asian market. Its other offices are in the United States.
�Beyond financing, Globespan Capital gives Jajah a strong business development team on the ground and solid connections with leading companies across Japan, Korea, China, and India,� said Venky Ganesan, Globespan�s managing director. "
The VoIP upstart announced its initial investment last month from Sequoia Capital for an undisclosed amount. It then said it had moved its headquarters from Europe to Menlo Park, California, and launched the company as a U.S.-based firm (see Hello, It's Jajah Calling).
Globespan Capital led Jajah�s second round of financing for an undisclosed amount. The venture capital firm, which has one of its three offices in Tokyo, has emerged as a specialist at helping startups gain access to the Asian market. Its other offices are in the United States.
�Beyond financing, Globespan Capital gives Jajah a strong business development team on the ground and solid connections with leading companies across Japan, Korea, China, and India,� said Venky Ganesan, Globespan�s managing director. "
TheDeal.com - Facebook gets $25M
"The new round includes contributions from leader Greylock Partners of San Mateo, Calif., and new backer Meritech Capital Partners of Palo Alto, Calif., as well as prior investors Accel Partners of Palo Alto, and PayPal founder Peter Thiel. Accel had previously provided about $13 million in Facebook's second round last year, while Thiel invested $500,000 in startup capital in 2004.
The deal follows a spate of rumors that Palo Alto-based Facebook has been receiving buyout offers of up to $750 million, but has rejected them in anticipation of an eventual larger deal. BusinessWeek Online speculated three weeks ago that Facebook is seeking a deal worth as much as $2 billion, and that Viacom Inc. of New York was among its potential suitors. "
The deal follows a spate of rumors that Palo Alto-based Facebook has been receiving buyout offers of up to $750 million, but has rejected them in anticipation of an eventual larger deal. BusinessWeek Online speculated three weeks ago that Facebook is seeking a deal worth as much as $2 billion, and that Viacom Inc. of New York was among its potential suitors. "
PRESS RELEASE -Red Herring Releases Short-List of Finalists for the "Red Herring 100 North America" Awards for 2006
The 200 companies short-listed as finalists for the "Red Herring 100 North America" are (in alphabetical order):
COMPANY, CITY, STATE
3VR Security, Inc., San Francisco, CA
A10 Networks, San Jose, CA
A123Systems, Watertown, MA
Adknowledge, Inc., Kansas City, MO
AirG, Vancouver, BC
Ambit Inc., San Diego, CA
Amp'd Mobile, Aliso Viejo, CA
AmpliMed, Tucson, AZ
Amyris Biotechnologies, Inc., Emeryville, CA
ANDA Networks, Inc, Sunnyvale, CA
Aperto Networks, Milpitas, CA
Application Security, Inc., New York, NY
Attensa, Inc., Portland, OR
Barracuda Networks, Inc., Mountain View, CA
Bay Microsystems, Inc., San Jose, CA
Bazaarvoice, Austin, TX
Become, Inc., Mountain View, CA
Berkeley Design Automation, Santa Clara, CA
Bharosa, Santa Clara, CA
BioPassword, Inc., Issaquah, WA
BitTorrent, San Francisco, CA
Black Duck Software, Inc., Waltham, MA
BorderWare Technologies Inc., Mississauga, ON
Boston Circuits, Inc., Burlington, MA
BroadLight, Inc., Mountain View, CA
Buzz Metrics, Inc., New York, NY
Calix Networks, Inc., Petaluma, CA
Cape Clear Software, Waltham, MA
Cavium Networks, Inc., Santa Clara, CA
Caymas Systems, San Jose, CA
Centrality Communications Inc., Santa Clara, CA
Centro, Chicago, IL
ClairMail, Novato, CA
ClearFuels Technology, Inc., Aiea, HI
Cloudmark, San Francisco, CA
Cobasys, Orion, MI
CollabNet, Brisbane, CA
Contactual, Inc, San Mateo, CA
ContextWeb Inc, New York, NY
Converged Access, Billerica, MA
Current Communications Group, Germantown, MD
CyThera Inc., San Diego, CA
Data Domain, Palo Alto, CA
Delta-Q Technologies Corp., Burnaby, BC
Determina, Redwood City, CA
DiVitas Networks, Mountain View, CA
DriveCam, Inc., San Diego, CA
Dualcor Technologies, Scotts Valley, CA
Egenera, Inc., Marlboro, MA
Egenix, Inc., Millbrook, NY
EnerNOC, Inc., Boston, MA
Enigma Semiconductor, Santa Clara, CA
EnterpriseDB Corporation, Iselin, NJ
Entropic Communications, San Diego, CA
E-One Moli Energy (Canada) Ltd., Maple Ridge, BC
EqualLogic, Inc., Nashua, NH
Eurekster, Inc., San Francisco, CA
FatLens, Inc. , Mountain View, CA
FeedBurner, Chicago, IL
FilmLoop, Palo Alto, CA
Firefly Energy Inc., Peoria, IL
First Solar LLC, Phoenix, AZ
Forterra Systems, San Mateo, CA
Funambol, Redwood City, CA
Geomagic, Research Triangle Park, NC
GetActive Software, Berkeley, CA
GlobeImmune, Louisville, CO
Glu Mobile, San Mateo, CA
GlycoFi, Lebanon, NH
Gotuit Media Corp., Woburn, MA
GraniteEdge Networks, Bellevue, WA
GreenFuel Technologies Corporation, Cambridge, MA
Groove Mobile, Inc, Andover, MA
GUBA, LLC, San Francisco, CA
Habeas, Inc., Mountain View, CA
Havok, San Francisco, CA
HelioVolt, Austin, TX
Hypnion, Inc., Lexington, MA
I4 Commerce, Timonium, MD
Infinera Corp., Sunnyvale, CA
Infoblox, Sunnyvale, CA
Ingenio, Inc., San Francisco, CA
Ingres Corporation, Redwood City, CA
Innodia Inc., Laval, QC
InPhase Technologies, Longmont, CO
Inrix, Inc., Kirkland, WA
IPextreme Inc., Campbell, CA
iRise, El Segundo, CA
iUpload, Burlington, ON
Jadoo Power Systems Inc., Folsom, CA
JAJAH, Menlo Park, CA
JasperSoft Corporation , San Francisco, CA
JLT Mobile Computers, Tempe, AZ
JotSpot, Palo Alto, CA
Ketera Technologies, Santa Clara, CA
Koolspan, Inc., Bethesda, MD
Kosmix, Mountain View, CA
Lentigen Corporation, Baltimore, MD
Lockdown Networks, Inc., Seattle, WA
Log Savvy Corporation, Berkeley, CA
LogLogic, San Jose, CA
Luminetx, Memphis, TN
Magenn Power Inc., Kanata, ON
Magnolia Broadband, Bedminster, NJ
Massive Incorporated, New York, NY
Matisse Networks, Inc., Mountain View, CA
Mediabolic, Inc., San Mateo, CA
Medsphere, Aliso Viejo, CA
meebo Inc. , Palo Alto, CA
Meetro, Palo Alto, CA
MeeVee, Inc., Burlingame, CA
Melodeo, Seattle, WA
Miasolé, Santa Clara, CA
Mimix Broadband, Inc. , Houston , TX
Mobilitec, San Mateo, CA
Molecular Imprints Inc., Austin, TX
MovieBeam, Inc., Burbank, CA
Mozilla Corporation, Mountain View, CA
mPortal, Inc, Vienna, VA
Nanosphere, Inc. , Northbrook, IL
Nantero, Woburn, MA
Navio Systems, Cupertino, CA
Nereus Pharmaceuticals, San Diego, CA
NetContinuum, Inc., Santa Clara, CA
Neterion, Inc., Cupertino, CA
Network Chemistry, Redwood City, CA
Neugenesis Corporation, Mountain View, CA
Newport Media, Inc., Lake Forest, CA
Nexidia Inc., Atlanta, GA
Nextrials, Inc., San Ramon, CA
Novare Surgical Systems, Inc., Cupertino, CA
nTAG Interactive, Boston, MA
Ojos, Inc., Redwood City, CA
Open-Silicon, Sunnyvale, CA
OpSource, Inc., Santa Clara, CA
Optimer Pharmaceuticals, San Diego, CA
OQO, Inc. , San Francisco, CA
Origen Therapeutics, Burlingame, CA
Orion Genomics, St. Louis, MI
Parkingcarma, Berkeley, CA
Passmark Security, Menlo Park, CA
Pentaho Corporation, Orlando, FL
PGP Corporation, Palo Alto, CA
Pluck Corporation, Austin, TX
PodShow, Inc., San Francisco, CA
Primera Biosystems, Mansfield, MA
Quartics, Inc., IRVINE, CA
Rapt, San Francisco, CA
Raza Microelectronics, San Jose, CA
Reconnex Corporation, Mountain View, CA
Red Bend Software, Framingham, MA
Revver Inc., Hollywood, CA
rPath, Raleigh, NC
Ruckus Wireless, Mountain View, CA
Scaled Composites, LLC, Mojave, CA
Scanbuy, New York, NY
Sharpcast, Inc., Palo Alto, CA
Silver Peak Systems, Mountain View, CA
Skybox Security, Inc., San Jose, CA
SkyPilot Networks, Santa Clara, CA
Sling Media, Inc., San Mateo, CA
Small Bone Innovations, Inc. , New York, NY
SNOCAP, Inc., San Francisco, CA
Socialtext, Palo Alto, CA
Solfocus, Inc., Saratoga, CA
SOMA Networks, Inc., San Francisco, CA
SpikeSource, Inc., Redwood City, CA
Spot Runner, Los Angeles, CA
Stealth Communications, Inc., New York, NY
Streamload, San Diego, CA
SunRocket, Inc., Vienna, VA
superDimension, Inc., Minneapolis, MN
Surface Logix, Inc., Brighton, MA
TagWorld Inc, Santa Monica, CA
Tarari, Inc, San Diego, CA
Tazz Networks, Providence, RI
TeleCIS Wireless, Santa Clara, CA
The Multiverse Network, Inc., Mountain View, CA
The NewsMarket, Inc., New York, NY
thePlatform, Seattle, WA
ThingMagic, Cambridge, MA
Tizor, Maynard, MA
Topix Technologies, Inc., Laguna Hills, CA
TorreyPines Therapeutics, La Jolla, CA
Traction Software, Inc., Providence, RI
Transera Communications, Cupertino, CA
U3, LLC, Redwood City, CA
Visage Mobile, Inc, San Francisco, CA
Vivace Semiconductor, Inc., Beverly, MA
Vivisimo, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA
Vivox, Framingham, MA
ViXS Systems, Inc. , Toronto, ON
Voxify, Inc., Alameda, CA
Xceive Corporation, Santa Clara, CA
Xencor Inc., Monrovia, CA
XOsoft, Waltham, MA
YouTube, San Mateo, CA
Zazzle, Palo Alto, CA
Zillow, Seattle, WA
Zimbra, San Mateo, CA
COMPANY, CITY, STATE
3VR Security, Inc., San Francisco, CA
A10 Networks, San Jose, CA
A123Systems, Watertown, MA
Adknowledge, Inc., Kansas City, MO
AirG, Vancouver, BC
Ambit Inc., San Diego, CA
Amp'd Mobile, Aliso Viejo, CA
AmpliMed, Tucson, AZ
Amyris Biotechnologies, Inc., Emeryville, CA
ANDA Networks, Inc, Sunnyvale, CA
Aperto Networks, Milpitas, CA
Application Security, Inc., New York, NY
Attensa, Inc., Portland, OR
Barracuda Networks, Inc., Mountain View, CA
Bay Microsystems, Inc., San Jose, CA
Bazaarvoice, Austin, TX
Become, Inc., Mountain View, CA
Berkeley Design Automation, Santa Clara, CA
Bharosa, Santa Clara, CA
BioPassword, Inc., Issaquah, WA
BitTorrent, San Francisco, CA
Black Duck Software, Inc., Waltham, MA
BorderWare Technologies Inc., Mississauga, ON
Boston Circuits, Inc., Burlington, MA
BroadLight, Inc., Mountain View, CA
Buzz Metrics, Inc., New York, NY
Calix Networks, Inc., Petaluma, CA
Cape Clear Software, Waltham, MA
Cavium Networks, Inc., Santa Clara, CA
Caymas Systems, San Jose, CA
Centrality Communications Inc., Santa Clara, CA
Centro, Chicago, IL
ClairMail, Novato, CA
ClearFuels Technology, Inc., Aiea, HI
Cloudmark, San Francisco, CA
Cobasys, Orion, MI
CollabNet, Brisbane, CA
Contactual, Inc, San Mateo, CA
ContextWeb Inc, New York, NY
Converged Access, Billerica, MA
Current Communications Group, Germantown, MD
CyThera Inc., San Diego, CA
Data Domain, Palo Alto, CA
Delta-Q Technologies Corp., Burnaby, BC
Determina, Redwood City, CA
DiVitas Networks, Mountain View, CA
DriveCam, Inc., San Diego, CA
Dualcor Technologies, Scotts Valley, CA
Egenera, Inc., Marlboro, MA
Egenix, Inc., Millbrook, NY
EnerNOC, Inc., Boston, MA
Enigma Semiconductor, Santa Clara, CA
EnterpriseDB Corporation, Iselin, NJ
Entropic Communications, San Diego, CA
E-One Moli Energy (Canada) Ltd., Maple Ridge, BC
EqualLogic, Inc., Nashua, NH
Eurekster, Inc., San Francisco, CA
FatLens, Inc. , Mountain View, CA
FeedBurner, Chicago, IL
FilmLoop, Palo Alto, CA
Firefly Energy Inc., Peoria, IL
First Solar LLC, Phoenix, AZ
Forterra Systems, San Mateo, CA
Funambol, Redwood City, CA
Geomagic, Research Triangle Park, NC
GetActive Software, Berkeley, CA
GlobeImmune, Louisville, CO
Glu Mobile, San Mateo, CA
GlycoFi, Lebanon, NH
Gotuit Media Corp., Woburn, MA
GraniteEdge Networks, Bellevue, WA
GreenFuel Technologies Corporation, Cambridge, MA
Groove Mobile, Inc, Andover, MA
GUBA, LLC, San Francisco, CA
Habeas, Inc., Mountain View, CA
Havok, San Francisco, CA
HelioVolt, Austin, TX
Hypnion, Inc., Lexington, MA
I4 Commerce, Timonium, MD
Infinera Corp., Sunnyvale, CA
Infoblox, Sunnyvale, CA
Ingenio, Inc., San Francisco, CA
Ingres Corporation, Redwood City, CA
Innodia Inc., Laval, QC
InPhase Technologies, Longmont, CO
Inrix, Inc., Kirkland, WA
IPextreme Inc., Campbell, CA
iRise, El Segundo, CA
iUpload, Burlington, ON
Jadoo Power Systems Inc., Folsom, CA
JAJAH, Menlo Park, CA
JasperSoft Corporation , San Francisco, CA
JLT Mobile Computers, Tempe, AZ
JotSpot, Palo Alto, CA
Ketera Technologies, Santa Clara, CA
Koolspan, Inc., Bethesda, MD
Kosmix, Mountain View, CA
Lentigen Corporation, Baltimore, MD
Lockdown Networks, Inc., Seattle, WA
Log Savvy Corporation, Berkeley, CA
LogLogic, San Jose, CA
Luminetx, Memphis, TN
Magenn Power Inc., Kanata, ON
Magnolia Broadband, Bedminster, NJ
Massive Incorporated, New York, NY
Matisse Networks, Inc., Mountain View, CA
Mediabolic, Inc., San Mateo, CA
Medsphere, Aliso Viejo, CA
meebo Inc. , Palo Alto, CA
Meetro, Palo Alto, CA
MeeVee, Inc., Burlingame, CA
Melodeo, Seattle, WA
Miasolé, Santa Clara, CA
Mimix Broadband, Inc. , Houston , TX
Mobilitec, San Mateo, CA
Molecular Imprints Inc., Austin, TX
MovieBeam, Inc., Burbank, CA
Mozilla Corporation, Mountain View, CA
mPortal, Inc, Vienna, VA
Nanosphere, Inc. , Northbrook, IL
Nantero, Woburn, MA
Navio Systems, Cupertino, CA
Nereus Pharmaceuticals, San Diego, CA
NetContinuum, Inc., Santa Clara, CA
Neterion, Inc., Cupertino, CA
Network Chemistry, Redwood City, CA
Neugenesis Corporation, Mountain View, CA
Newport Media, Inc., Lake Forest, CA
Nexidia Inc., Atlanta, GA
Nextrials, Inc., San Ramon, CA
Novare Surgical Systems, Inc., Cupertino, CA
nTAG Interactive, Boston, MA
Ojos, Inc., Redwood City, CA
Open-Silicon, Sunnyvale, CA
OpSource, Inc., Santa Clara, CA
Optimer Pharmaceuticals, San Diego, CA
OQO, Inc. , San Francisco, CA
Origen Therapeutics, Burlingame, CA
Orion Genomics, St. Louis, MI
Parkingcarma, Berkeley, CA
Passmark Security, Menlo Park, CA
Pentaho Corporation, Orlando, FL
PGP Corporation, Palo Alto, CA
Pluck Corporation, Austin, TX
PodShow, Inc., San Francisco, CA
Primera Biosystems, Mansfield, MA
Quartics, Inc., IRVINE, CA
Rapt, San Francisco, CA
Raza Microelectronics, San Jose, CA
Reconnex Corporation, Mountain View, CA
Red Bend Software, Framingham, MA
Revver Inc., Hollywood, CA
rPath, Raleigh, NC
Ruckus Wireless, Mountain View, CA
Scaled Composites, LLC, Mojave, CA
Scanbuy, New York, NY
Sharpcast, Inc., Palo Alto, CA
Silver Peak Systems, Mountain View, CA
Skybox Security, Inc., San Jose, CA
SkyPilot Networks, Santa Clara, CA
Sling Media, Inc., San Mateo, CA
Small Bone Innovations, Inc. , New York, NY
SNOCAP, Inc., San Francisco, CA
Socialtext, Palo Alto, CA
Solfocus, Inc., Saratoga, CA
SOMA Networks, Inc., San Francisco, CA
SpikeSource, Inc., Redwood City, CA
Spot Runner, Los Angeles, CA
Stealth Communications, Inc., New York, NY
Streamload, San Diego, CA
SunRocket, Inc., Vienna, VA
superDimension, Inc., Minneapolis, MN
Surface Logix, Inc., Brighton, MA
TagWorld Inc, Santa Monica, CA
Tarari, Inc, San Diego, CA
Tazz Networks, Providence, RI
TeleCIS Wireless, Santa Clara, CA
The Multiverse Network, Inc., Mountain View, CA
The NewsMarket, Inc., New York, NY
thePlatform, Seattle, WA
ThingMagic, Cambridge, MA
Tizor, Maynard, MA
Topix Technologies, Inc., Laguna Hills, CA
TorreyPines Therapeutics, La Jolla, CA
Traction Software, Inc., Providence, RI
Transera Communications, Cupertino, CA
U3, LLC, Redwood City, CA
Visage Mobile, Inc, San Francisco, CA
Vivace Semiconductor, Inc., Beverly, MA
Vivisimo, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA
Vivox, Framingham, MA
ViXS Systems, Inc. , Toronto, ON
Voxify, Inc., Alameda, CA
Xceive Corporation, Santa Clara, CA
Xencor Inc., Monrovia, CA
XOsoft, Waltham, MA
YouTube, San Mateo, CA
Zazzle, Palo Alto, CA
Zillow, Seattle, WA
Zimbra, San Mateo, CA
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
NBC, Affiliates Form Video Joint Venture: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
"NBC Universal and its 213 affiliate stations have formed a joint venture to sell news, lifestyle, sports, weather and other video generated by local stations, it was announced Wednesday.
The new company, tentatively called National Broadband Co., is intended to give NBC stations access to millions of dollars in advertising migrating from traditional TV to the Internet."
The new company, tentatively called National Broadband Co., is intended to give NBC stations access to millions of dollars in advertising migrating from traditional TV to the Internet."
Facebook, the half-a-billion-dollar kid - MarketWatch
"Mark Zuckerberg, who started the Facebook -- essentially an online student directory -- while he was a sophomore at Harvard in 2004 -- just received funding for quite a nice valuation. Zuckerberg, as many of my readers might recall, left Harvard to become an entrepreneur.
Facebook, which now has more than 7 million registered users, recently received $25 million in venture funding from Greylock Partners, of San Mateo.
The valuation for the private firm was $550 million, a source close to the deal told me. "
Facebook, which now has more than 7 million registered users, recently received $25 million in venture funding from Greylock Partners, of San Mateo.
The valuation for the private firm was $550 million, a source close to the deal told me. "
Tech vets set out to secure $2.5M for new business - Washington Business Journal:
"Revive Systems expects to close a $2.5 mil-lion first round of funding this month.
The company will use the money to develop software for detecting data that is moving across a network and doesn't match the expected activity, signaling a possible security breach. The software would then fix a network breach within 60 seconds of detecting an incoming threat. "
The company will use the money to develop software for detecting data that is moving across a network and doesn't match the expected activity, signaling a possible security breach. The software would then fix a network breach within 60 seconds of detecting an incoming threat. "
The Startup Type: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
"Open-source is a great idea for users--they typically get a decent product for free. But it's a far trickier proposition for companies trying to make a buck from an open-source application.
That didn't deter Toni Schneider from quitting Yahoo, where he was a vice president, and joining Automattic in January. The startup, based in San Francisco, is named after 22-year-old co-founder Matt Mullenweg--the 'Matt' in 'Automattic' and the developer of WordPress, an increasingly popular open-source blogging tool. Launched six months ago, the company already claims 150,000 users. Schneider, 36, is now aiming to build a real business on top of Mullenweg's creation."
That didn't deter Toni Schneider from quitting Yahoo, where he was a vice president, and joining Automattic in January. The startup, based in San Francisco, is named after 22-year-old co-founder Matt Mullenweg--the 'Matt' in 'Automattic' and the developer of WordPress, an increasingly popular open-source blogging tool. Launched six months ago, the company already claims 150,000 users. Schneider, 36, is now aiming to build a real business on top of Mullenweg's creation."
Cisco invests millions in video encryption company: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
"Widevine Technologies, which designs technology to prevent digital video theft, on Wednesday said it had received $16 million from several investors, including network equipment maker Cisco Systems Inc.
The privately held company's encryption technology scrambles digital video signals as they leave a service provider's main office, and decrypts them once they enter consumers' homes via television set-top boxes.
"This gives Cisco pretty much a ground-floor opportunity to use Widevine's technology in some of their future home devices," said Vamsi Sistla, an analyst at ABI Research in New York.
The privately held company's encryption technology scrambles digital video signals as they leave a service provider's main office, and decrypts them once they enter consumers' homes via television set-top boxes.
"This gives Cisco pretty much a ground-floor opportunity to use Widevine's technology in some of their future home devices," said Vamsi Sistla, an analyst at ABI Research in New York.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Will Price: Venture Stats
"For those who follow the VC industry, below are some interesting 2005 statistics:
Commitments to VC Funds, $22.2 bn. Up 18.7% from 2004
VC Financings, $22.1bn. Up 2.8% from 2004
IT Financings, $12 bn. Down 4% form 2004
Software Financings, $5.11bn, Down 6% from 2004
Number of Active Firms, 1,417
Down 49% from 2000, 61% if you define active as > 4 deals per year.
Number of exits, 397.
IPOs: 41, down 38% from 2004, with $2.24bn raised via IPO
M&A: 356, down 12% from 2004, with $27bn in total exit value
Number of private companies funded since 2000 net of 2005 exits: 5,406 with $132bn invested in them
Average of $24.4m invested in companies
At current exit rate, will take 13.6 years to get through backlog
Median M&A exit $47.5m
Median Pre-moneys
Seed $2m
A $5.4m
B $14m"
O'Reilly Radar > Meebo:IM in the cloud
"I've slowly started to move most of online life away from my personal machines and into the cloud. I never thought that I would do that with IM. For some reason it has always seemed very client based and I never pictured myself being satisfied with a web based app. That started to change a couple of months ago with GChat, Google's slick web IM client. I'm always in Gmail and so it was very convenient for chatting with my other friends who use Gmail, but that's the rub. It only let me chat with other people on their network and not any of the other major ones."
Business 2.0: The best-kept secrets - Mar. 23, 2006
"Not even the most successful companies in the world are managed by the book. Great management formulas aren't handed down on stone tablets, or found in the writings or speeches of gurus and consultants. They emerge from years of experimentation, trial and error, regime change, reorganizations, crises, and employee suggestions.
In that spirit, Business 2.0 magazine sent senior writer Paul Kaihla and a team of reporters on a quest to find some of the best 'best practices' in business today. The companies they interviewed have stumbled upon their own unique methods for doing everything from running meetings and generating product ideas to troubleshooting M&A deals and keeping board directors on their toes."
In that spirit, Business 2.0 magazine sent senior writer Paul Kaihla and a team of reporters on a quest to find some of the best 'best practices' in business today. The companies they interviewed have stumbled upon their own unique methods for doing everything from running meetings and generating product ideas to troubleshooting M&A deals and keeping board directors on their toes."
Amdocs Agrees to Acquire Qpass for $275 Million: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
"Amdocs (NYSE: DOX - News), the leading provider of software and services to enable integrated customer management and the intentional customer experience(TM), today announced it signed an agreement to acquire Qpass, a leading provider of digital commerce software and solutions. Under the terms of the agreement, Amdocs will acquire all of Qpass' shares of capital stock for approximately $275 million in cash. Through this acquisition, Amdocs can enable its customers to create additional sources of revenue through the delivery of digital goods over multiple devices and various access methods."
TheDeal.com -GOOG acquisition targets
"Perhaps the most attractive target is Baidu.com Inc. Google invested $5 million in the Internet search provider in 2004, taking a 2.6% stake. Beijing-based Baidu, the market leader in China with a roughly 57% share of the online search market, compared with 33% for Google, is an 'obvious choice' for acquisition, Brueschke says. But he adds that Google would face significant hurdles were it to pursue such a deal, including Chinese government resistance. Baidu, which trades on Nasdaq for nearly $57 a share and which carries a market capitalization of more than $1.9 billion, also may not want to sell.
'Google needs Baidu more than Baidu needs Google,' Brueschke said. 'Baidu is the leader and appears to be pulling away from Google in China.'"
'Google needs Baidu more than Baidu needs Google,' Brueschke said. 'Baidu is the leader and appears to be pulling away from Google in China.'"
TheDeal.com - Google plants seeds in China
"Google Inc.'s new name in China, Gu Ge, or 'harvest song,' draws on Chinese rural traditions to signify a fruitful experience. But the ideograms also suggest the bounty the world's biggest Internet company sees in what is soon to be the world's largest online market.
Google officials were in Beijing last week to unveil the name and to announce it will open a research lab in China. Analysts said the Mountain View, Calif.-based company's plan for the country also could include major acquisitions.
'Everybody is trying to figure out what Google is going to do with a $10 billion war chest and $2 billion in cash flow every year,' said Matt Comyns, a partner at BlackInc China, a New York-based Internet advisory firm, who attended the announcement. 'To date, they've made a lot of small technology buys that have strategically made sense for them, but it is logical to think if they are going to make a big buy it's going to be in a place like China.'"
In a research report released Monday, Citigroup Global Markets Inc. analyst Jason Brueschke said Google is more likely to acquire small technology and research and development shops in China, but he noted it also could have its eye on several major, publicly listed Chinese Internet players.
Google officials were in Beijing last week to unveil the name and to announce it will open a research lab in China. Analysts said the Mountain View, Calif.-based company's plan for the country also could include major acquisitions.
'Everybody is trying to figure out what Google is going to do with a $10 billion war chest and $2 billion in cash flow every year,' said Matt Comyns, a partner at BlackInc China, a New York-based Internet advisory firm, who attended the announcement. 'To date, they've made a lot of small technology buys that have strategically made sense for them, but it is logical to think if they are going to make a big buy it's going to be in a place like China.'"
In a research report released Monday, Citigroup Global Markets Inc. analyst Jason Brueschke said Google is more likely to acquire small technology and research and development shops in China, but he noted it also could have its eye on several major, publicly listed Chinese Internet players.
Cisco Systems Intends to Invest Over US $265 Million (SR 1 Billion) in Saudi Arabia Over Next Five Years: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
"Cisco Systems (Nasdaq:CSCO - News) today announced a significant investment initiative in Saudi Arabia totaling more than US $265 million (Saudi Riyal 1 billion). This announcement was made by John Chambers, President and CEO of Cisco Systems, during his visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and highlights the growing importance of the Saudi market in the global economy.
'Saudi Arabia is experiencing a transformation as it expands its economic growth opportunities into new sectors using information technology,' said Chambers. 'Today's announcement of our investment plans in Saudi Arabia reflects our alignment with the country's focus on entrepreneurship, innovation and education, which we believe will help drive the 21st century global economy.'"
'Saudi Arabia is experiencing a transformation as it expands its economic growth opportunities into new sectors using information technology,' said Chambers. 'Today's announcement of our investment plans in Saudi Arabia reflects our alignment with the country's focus on entrepreneurship, innovation and education, which we believe will help drive the 21st century global economy.'"
Hispanic Business - Palladium Completes Hispanic Market Focused Fund
"Palladium Equity Partners announced it has raised a $520 million private equity fund, believed to be the largest such fund to date, focused on investing in companies expected to benefit from the explosive growth of the U.S. Hispanic population.
The new fund, called Palladium Equity Partners III, L.P., has a blue chip investor base including BBVA, one of Spain's largest financial institutions, and prominent pension funds such as CalPERS, CalSTRS, New York City, New York State and GE Pension Trust."
The new fund, called Palladium Equity Partners III, L.P., has a blue chip investor base including BBVA, one of Spain's largest financial institutions, and prominent pension funds such as CalPERS, CalSTRS, New York City, New York State and GE Pension Trust."
Shanda and China Hewlett Packard Forge Strategic Partnership: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
"Shanda Interactive Entertainment Limited (Nasdaq: SNDA - News), one of the leading interactive entertainment media companies in China, today announced a strategic partnership with China Hewlett-Packard, or China HP, a subsidiary of Hewlett-Packard Company, or HP, one of the world's leading information technology companies."
Monday, April 17, 2006
Mass High Tech: BladeLogic continues growth, moves toward IPO - 2006-04-17
"The data center software business has changed plenty in the last decade, and Waltham's BladeLogic Inc. has ridden those changes to rapid growth and an expected initial public offering.
Chief Executive Dev Ittycheria said that in the past businesses would operate a maximum of 100 servers and update them a couple of times a quarter. These days, the same businesses are operating more than a thousand servers and updating them daily or weekly.
The shift has fueled growth for data center management companies such as BladeLogic, which now plans to leverage that growth by becoming publicly traded -- but not without careful consideration, Ittycheria said. "
"But BladeLogic, which reports a compound annual growth rate of 250 percent since being founded in 2001, is ready and able to make the move from being privately held, Ittycheria said, though he declined to provide specific revenue figures."
Chief Executive Dev Ittycheria said that in the past businesses would operate a maximum of 100 servers and update them a couple of times a quarter. These days, the same businesses are operating more than a thousand servers and updating them daily or weekly.
The shift has fueled growth for data center management companies such as BladeLogic, which now plans to leverage that growth by becoming publicly traded -- but not without careful consideration, Ittycheria said. "
"But BladeLogic, which reports a compound annual growth rate of 250 percent since being founded in 2001, is ready and able to make the move from being privately held, Ittycheria said, though he declined to provide specific revenue figures."
Moneycontrol India > News > Norwest Venture Partners announces $650mn NVP X > > Business > Norwest Venture Partners X
"Promod Haque's VC firm - Norwest Venture Partners has announced the formation of NVP X to invest in global, next-generation technology companies. Heavy focus will be on consumer internet, mobile and media sectors. "
India Outlook
"NVP has invested in more than 20 “hybrid� or “cross border� companies (companies that are headquartered in the US, but have a significant presence in India). The firm has also made two direct investments in India during the last five months, and will be announcing additional investments in the first half of 2006. Most recently, NVP invested in Yatra Online, the first online and centralised travel services company for the India market, and Persistent Systems, a leading provider of outsourced software product development."
India Outlook
"NVP has invested in more than 20 “hybrid� or “cross border� companies (companies that are headquartered in the US, but have a significant presence in India). The firm has also made two direct investments in India during the last five months, and will be announcing additional investments in the first half of 2006. Most recently, NVP invested in Yatra Online, the first online and centralised travel services company for the India market, and Persistent Systems, a leading provider of outsourced software product development."
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Alien: Form S-1 Registration Statement
Out of these world cogs and operating expenses:
"For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2005, we generated revenue of approximately $19.8 million, consisting of $12.7 million in product revenue and $7.1 million in service revenue. For the three months ended December 31, 2005, we generated revenue of approximately $5.1 million, consisting of $2.4 million in product revenue and $2.7 million of service revenue. We incurred net losses of $53.0 million in fiscal 2005 and $17.9 million in the three months ended December 31, 2005. Net loss before cumulative effect of change in accounting principle was $10.4 million in the three months ended December 31, 2005. As of December 31, 2005, we had an accumulated deficit of $201.2 million. "
We have a history of losses, and we expect to incur additional losses in the future. We cannot be certain that we will achieve or sustain profitability.
We have never been profitable. We have experienced operating losses in the past, and we expect to continue to incur additional operating losses in the future. We incurred net losses of $19.1 million, $27.6 million and $53.0 million in fiscal 2003, fiscal 2004 and fiscal 2005, respectively, and $17.9 million in the three months ended December 31, 2005. Net loss allocable to common stockholders was $44.5 million, $27.6 million and $53.0 million in fiscal 2003, fiscal 2004 and fiscal 2005, respectively. As of December 31, 2005, we had an accumulated deficit of $201.2 million. Our ability to achieve or sustain profitability is based on a number of factors, many of which are out of our control, including the development of the market for RFID products generally, and the demand for our RFID products, in particular. We may never be able to generate sufficient revenues or sell a sufficient volume of RFID tags to achieve or sustain profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. In addition, we have not reported positive gross margins on the sale of our RFID products since we began selling such products in 2002. We do not expect to have positive gross margins on sales of our Gen 2 RFID tag products until our sales volumes for our Gen 2 tags increase substantially and we complete our anticipated transition to using our proprietary FSA-based tag manufacturing processes and our newly designed ICs in these products. The completion of this transition to our FSA-based tag manufacturing process is not currently anticipated to occur until the first half of fiscal 2007 and may take longer. We currently use the more expensive flip chip assembly processes to manufacture our Gen 2 RFID tag products. In addition, we purchase ICs for our Gen 2 products that cost more than our newly designed ICs. Any delays in the transition to our newly designed Gen 2 ICs will adversely affect our gross margins
"For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2005, we generated revenue of approximately $19.8 million, consisting of $12.7 million in product revenue and $7.1 million in service revenue. For the three months ended December 31, 2005, we generated revenue of approximately $5.1 million, consisting of $2.4 million in product revenue and $2.7 million of service revenue. We incurred net losses of $53.0 million in fiscal 2005 and $17.9 million in the three months ended December 31, 2005. Net loss before cumulative effect of change in accounting principle was $10.4 million in the three months ended December 31, 2005. As of December 31, 2005, we had an accumulated deficit of $201.2 million. "
We have a history of losses, and we expect to incur additional losses in the future. We cannot be certain that we will achieve or sustain profitability.
We have never been profitable. We have experienced operating losses in the past, and we expect to continue to incur additional operating losses in the future. We incurred net losses of $19.1 million, $27.6 million and $53.0 million in fiscal 2003, fiscal 2004 and fiscal 2005, respectively, and $17.9 million in the three months ended December 31, 2005. Net loss allocable to common stockholders was $44.5 million, $27.6 million and $53.0 million in fiscal 2003, fiscal 2004 and fiscal 2005, respectively. As of December 31, 2005, we had an accumulated deficit of $201.2 million. Our ability to achieve or sustain profitability is based on a number of factors, many of which are out of our control, including the development of the market for RFID products generally, and the demand for our RFID products, in particular. We may never be able to generate sufficient revenues or sell a sufficient volume of RFID tags to achieve or sustain profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. In addition, we have not reported positive gross margins on the sale of our RFID products since we began selling such products in 2002. We do not expect to have positive gross margins on sales of our Gen 2 RFID tag products until our sales volumes for our Gen 2 tags increase substantially and we complete our anticipated transition to using our proprietary FSA-based tag manufacturing processes and our newly designed ICs in these products. The completion of this transition to our FSA-based tag manufacturing process is not currently anticipated to occur until the first half of fiscal 2007 and may take longer. We currently use the more expensive flip chip assembly processes to manufacture our Gen 2 RFID tag products. In addition, we purchase ICs for our Gen 2 products that cost more than our newly designed ICs. Any delays in the transition to our newly designed Gen 2 ICs will adversely affect our gross margins
Alien Technology files for IPO | CNET News.com
"Alien Technology, which sells radio frequency identification chips, is seeking an initial public offering of as much as $138 million in common stock, according to a U.S. regulatory filing Thursday. The company filed a preliminary-offering document with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in which it said it is seeking a Nasdaq listing under the symbol RFID. "
Thursday, April 13, 2006
smugmug.com vs. flickr
Traffic Rank for smugmug.com: 1,405
Traffic Rank for flickr.com: 86
Traffic Rank for shutterfly.com: 780
Traffic Rank for webshots.com: 114
Traffic Rank for youtube.com: 48
Comparing site growth (youtube vs. smugmug):
MSFT | Reuters.com
"World Cyber Games said on Thursday that Microsoft Corp. (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) has signed on as the premier sponsor for its global video game tournaments through 2008. Under the terms of the alliance, Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Games for Windows business units will provide hardware, games and marketing support for all World Cyber Game events -- including three multi-region championships, the Korean and U.S. championships, and the grand finals in Monza, Italy, in October."
flickr.com vs. kodakgallery (ofoto), webshots, snapfish, shutterfly, and photobucket
And the winner, according to Alexa daily reach is: photobucket.com, the site that provides image and video hosting for MySpace, eBay, blogs, and message boards. Similar to Youtube.com, photobucket is riding the nut busting traffic growth of xanga, myspace, etc.
- Photobucket is a likely target according to a recent NYTimes article.
- Low overhead in the company with just eight employees as of 9/05. WSJ article on photobucket.
- The company apparently generates more traffic than Yahoo Photos as well (9.6M unique visitors vs. 12.2m unique for photobucket in September 2005).
Zoom Systems Announces $10 Million Financing to Fuel Automated Retail Expansion
"Zoom Systems announced today it has closed a $10 million Series C financing round led by Goldman, Sachs & Co. that will speed deployment of the company's network of 40 square foot robotic stores that place iconic brands and high demand products directly in the path of consumers.
The company's 'state-of-the-art' robotic stores are located in high
traffic areas and use technology to provide consumers simplicity, speed and
easy access to popular brand products. Leading consumer product brands can
sell their latest products through Zoom Systems' channel to generate
incremental revenues, powerful branding and perfect execution of their
brand strategy. Shoppers select products via an easy to use touch screen
graphic interface, finalize purchases with a credit or debit card and
receive products immediately via a robotic arm. All of Zoom Systems'
robotic stores are networked and centrally monitored, ensuring high
reliability and customer service levels."
"Sierra Ventures and NeoCarta Ventures led earlier rounds of financing
for Zoom. Jeff Loomans and David Schwab of Sierra and Peg Jackson of
NeoCarta serve on the board; Ram Venkateswaran of Goldman Sachs will now
serve on the board. Also participating in the round was Zoom Systems'
Chairman of the Board, Bruce Quinnell, former Vice Chairman, President, and
COO of leading retailer Borders Group."
"Zoom Systems' executive management team, board of directors and
advisors all have extensive retail backgrounds at leading brands that
include Target, LVMH Moet Hennessey Louis Vuitton, and Bank of America."
The company's 'state-of-the-art' robotic stores are located in high
traffic areas and use technology to provide consumers simplicity, speed and
easy access to popular brand products. Leading consumer product brands can
sell their latest products through Zoom Systems' channel to generate
incremental revenues, powerful branding and perfect execution of their
brand strategy. Shoppers select products via an easy to use touch screen
graphic interface, finalize purchases with a credit or debit card and
receive products immediately via a robotic arm. All of Zoom Systems'
robotic stores are networked and centrally monitored, ensuring high
reliability and customer service levels."
"Sierra Ventures and NeoCarta Ventures led earlier rounds of financing
for Zoom. Jeff Loomans and David Schwab of Sierra and Peg Jackson of
NeoCarta serve on the board; Ram Venkateswaran of Goldman Sachs will now
serve on the board. Also participating in the round was Zoom Systems'
Chairman of the Board, Bruce Quinnell, former Vice Chairman, President, and
COO of leading retailer Borders Group."
"Zoom Systems' executive management team, board of directors and
advisors all have extensive retail backgrounds at leading brands that
include Target, LVMH Moet Hennessey Louis Vuitton, and Bank of America."
Zillow.com Offers Photos of Homes, Regions: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
"Zillow.com already lets you learn how much your dream home might sell for. Now, you'll also be able to see what the house and its surroundings look like.
Zillow, which provides free, anonymous home value estimates, has struck a deal with Microsoft Corp. to offer detailed pictures of homes using the software company's 'bird's-eye' mapping technology."
Zillow, which provides free, anonymous home value estimates, has struck a deal with Microsoft Corp. to offer detailed pictures of homes using the software company's 'bird's-eye' mapping technology."
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
EBay eyes crossover with MeetUp | InfoWorld | News | 2006-04-12 | By Elizabeth Montalbano, IDG News Service
"EBay Inc. has invested US$2 million in social networking company Meetup Inc., according to a form 8-k eBay filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday. "
Go Daddy plans initial public offering, sources say - MarketWatch
"Go Daddy Group Inc., an Internet-domain registration company infamous for its risqu� television ads, has hired Lehman Brothers to manage an initial stock offering, according to three people familiar with the firm's plans.
The offering, the timing of which is uncertain, could raise more than $100 million and value the company at several times that amount, according to two of these people, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Elizabeth Driscoll, vice president of public relations at Go Daddy Group, declined to comment, as did a spokeswoman from Lehman.
GoDaddy.com, the company's flagship business, is the world's largest registrar of Internet domain names, with more than 9 million under management, according to the research firm BMO Nesbitt Burns. In 2002, GoDaddy.com managed fewer than 2 million names. "
The offering, the timing of which is uncertain, could raise more than $100 million and value the company at several times that amount, according to two of these people, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Elizabeth Driscoll, vice president of public relations at Go Daddy Group, declined to comment, as did a spokeswoman from Lehman.
GoDaddy.com, the company's flagship business, is the world's largest registrar of Internet domain names, with more than 9 million under management, according to the research firm BMO Nesbitt Burns. In 2002, GoDaddy.com managed fewer than 2 million names. "
SintecMedia receives $7M in funding from Sequoia Capital
"SintecMedia, a leading international developer of software for scheduling, sales, traffic, and billing systems, has completed a $10M round of private equity funding from Sequoia Capital and from its current investors.
SintecMedia designs and delivers next-generation systems that allow broadcasters, as well as cable and satellite networks and channels, to manage their schedules and to increase their revenues and reduce costs.
'This investment will be used to support the company's rapid growth in key global markets, accelerate our product development efforts, and to support the management of new forms of media and advertising,' said Amotz Yarden, SintecMedia's CEO. 'Our OnAir operations-management solution has emerged as the state-of-the-art system in our markets and is installed in leading single- and multichannel broadcast operations in North America, Europe, and Asian markets. This funding will enable us to pursue additional markets and technology development opportunities.'"
SintecMedia designs and delivers next-generation systems that allow broadcasters, as well as cable and satellite networks and channels, to manage their schedules and to increase their revenues and reduce costs.
'This investment will be used to support the company's rapid growth in key global markets, accelerate our product development efforts, and to support the management of new forms of media and advertising,' said Amotz Yarden, SintecMedia's CEO. 'Our OnAir operations-management solution has emerged as the state-of-the-art system in our markets and is installed in leading single- and multichannel broadcast operations in North America, Europe, and Asian markets. This funding will enable us to pursue additional markets and technology development opportunities.'"
PEWire (Primack): Chris Gabrieli - the next governer?
"I just got off the phone with Chris Gabrieli, a wonkish VC who recently entered the Massachusetts gubernatorial race. Still trying to process my thoughts and notes a bit, but here�s an initial take:
We in Massachusetts love venture capitalists. We also love baseball players. Both make obscene amounts of money (home runs=home runs), but we don�t mind because their successes are viewed as beneficial to the public at large. Our current governor, for example, is believed to be a venture capitalist, even though he was a leveraged buyouts professional. So, to sum up: VCs and baseball players are good, specific job descriptions are bad.
Gabrieli, unlike Romney, is an actual venture capitalist. He joined Bessemer Venture Partners in 1986 -- two years after BVP had backed a healthcare information systems company Gabrieli founded called GMIS. He then went on to back such efforts as Alkermes and Millennium Pharmaceuticals, before transitioning into a venture partner role in January 2000. In 2004, Gabrieli helped form an SBIC called Ironwood Equity Partners, whose eclectic portfolio includes the Dancing Deer Baking Co. in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Last year, he gained mention in this space for a successful effort to overturn Romney�s calculated veto of an embryonic stem cell research bill (an effort that included uncharacteristically boisterous VC industry support).
This strong VC track record, however, is unfortunately marred by a lackluster electoral record."
We in Massachusetts love venture capitalists. We also love baseball players. Both make obscene amounts of money (home runs=home runs), but we don�t mind because their successes are viewed as beneficial to the public at large. Our current governor, for example, is believed to be a venture capitalist, even though he was a leveraged buyouts professional. So, to sum up: VCs and baseball players are good, specific job descriptions are bad.
Gabrieli, unlike Romney, is an actual venture capitalist. He joined Bessemer Venture Partners in 1986 -- two years after BVP had backed a healthcare information systems company Gabrieli founded called GMIS. He then went on to back such efforts as Alkermes and Millennium Pharmaceuticals, before transitioning into a venture partner role in January 2000. In 2004, Gabrieli helped form an SBIC called Ironwood Equity Partners, whose eclectic portfolio includes the Dancing Deer Baking Co. in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Last year, he gained mention in this space for a successful effort to overturn Romney�s calculated veto of an embryonic stem cell research bill (an effort that included uncharacteristically boisterous VC industry support).
This strong VC track record, however, is unfortunately marred by a lackluster electoral record."
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
wikipedia.org vs. wikia vs. britannica.com vs. dictionary.com (reference.com) vs. tripadvisor
Wikia from Marketwatch:
Wikia was formerly known as Wikicities. It was co-founded by Jimmy Wales, who launched Wikipedia, and Angela Beesley, a member of the board of the Wikipedia Foundation.
Wikia and its community-conversation software tools let groups share information, news, stories, media and opinions on subjects as diverse as Star Wars (starwars.wikia.com), radio-controlled cars (www.wikicities.com/wiki/c:radiocontrol) and Doom (doom.wikia.com). More than 1,000 Wikis have been created and edited by 20,000 registered users.
A list of investors - Bessemer, Omidyar Network, and angels (Mark Andreessen, Dan Gillmor and Mitch Kapor.
And, in the works is a travel wiki from TripAdvisor, according to the Boston Herald:
TripAdvisor, based in Needham, has made a business of consolidating opinions about places. But the new online guides take things a step further. Instead of just rating and reviewing hotels, restaurants and attractions, users will be able to write articles about the cities in which they live or go to visit.
The wiki software allows users to instantly edit and update information, providing a near real-time picture of places unmatched by guidebooks, TripAdvisor says. And it will be quicker to respond to changes, such as the devastation of a hurricane, Kaufer said.
The site, which has 1.5 million visitors a day, will have to compete with information posted by travel powerhouses such as Fodor’s and The Lonely Planet, which offer some free guidebook content on their Web sites.
Last.fm vs. pandora, youtube, fster
Last.fm is the flagship product from the team that designed the Audioscrobbler system, a music engine based on a massive collection of Music Profiles. Each music profile belongs to one person, and describes their taste in music. Last.fm uses these music profiles to make personalized recommendations, match you up with people who like similar music, and generate custom radio stations for each person.
Boston Business Journal: Emptoris buys software firm diCarta - 2006-04-10
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"Emptoris Inc. has acquired tits diCarta Inc., whose software is used to manage contracts.
The companies did not reveal terms of the transaction. Emptoris had an estimated $70 million in revenue last year and diCarta $31 million, according to Forrester Research Inc. "
Barron's Online - Micron's DRAM Team May Come Up Short
"Micron Technologies (MU: NYSE)
By J.P. Morgan Securities ($15.58, April 6, 2006)
WE ARE CONCERNED with the company's commodity-pricing exposure and risk to estimates and we are reiterating our Underweight rating on Micron. However, if DRAM pricing improves, we could become more optimistic on Micron stock.
After the close Monday, Micron is scheduled to report results for its fiscal second quarter and we believe the company should report revenue and earnings per share in line with our estimates for $1.36 billion (flat quarter-over-quarter) and 3 cents per share, respectively, and roughly in line with consensus estimates for $1.34 billion and 6 cents per share."
By J.P. Morgan Securities ($15.58, April 6, 2006)
WE ARE CONCERNED with the company's commodity-pricing exposure and risk to estimates and we are reiterating our Underweight rating on Micron. However, if DRAM pricing improves, we could become more optimistic on Micron stock.
After the close Monday, Micron is scheduled to report results for its fiscal second quarter and we believe the company should report revenue and earnings per share in line with our estimates for $1.36 billion (flat quarter-over-quarter) and 3 cents per share, respectively, and roughly in line with consensus estimates for $1.34 billion and 6 cents per share."
Barron's Online - Getting Technical
"CHART WATCHERS ARE NOW KEEPING a close eye on key technical features that are pervasive across the stock market. Respective trends from the October 2005 lows are now under attack by the bears and one sector that has succumbed to the selling is the Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) group."
Developers See Red Hat, JBoss as Good Fit
"News Analysis: After months of speculation that Oracle might buy JBoss, Red Hat swoops in to pick up the open-source middleware supplier; developers give their views on how this affects the market. "
WSJ.com - Heard on the Street:Juniper
"The merger agreement between Alcatel SA and Lucent Technologies Inc. may push another company onto the auction block: Juniper Networks Inc.
Following word of the Alcatel and Lucent talks to establish a trans-Atlantic telecommunications-equipment giant, Juniper's stock jumped amid speculation that it could be the next company snapped up in the rapidly consolidating telecom-equipment sector. It later gave up some of those gains, and many analysts say shares of the Sunnyvale, Calif., gear maker likely will gyrate for at least the next few weeks. That could present buying opportunities for investors."
Following word of the Alcatel and Lucent talks to establish a trans-Atlantic telecommunications-equipment giant, Juniper's stock jumped amid speculation that it could be the next company snapped up in the rapidly consolidating telecom-equipment sector. It later gave up some of those gains, and many analysts say shares of the Sunnyvale, Calif., gear maker likely will gyrate for at least the next few weeks. That could present buying opportunities for investors."
Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal: AngioScore gets $30M in new funding - 2006-04-11
"AngioScore Inc. said Tuesday it has completed $30 million in fourth round private equity financing.
The funding was led by San Francisco-based Telegraph Hill Partners. Also participating as a new institutional investor was Baltimore, Md.-based QuestMark Partners LP. Existing investors who participated include Psilos Group Management, a New York firm that has an office in Corte Madera; Salt Lake City-based UV Partners; Pasadena-based California Technology Ventures LLC and Innomed Ventures, an Israeli venture capital fund. "
The funding was led by San Francisco-based Telegraph Hill Partners. Also participating as a new institutional investor was Baltimore, Md.-based QuestMark Partners LP. Existing investors who participated include Psilos Group Management, a New York firm that has an office in Corte Madera; Salt Lake City-based UV Partners; Pasadena-based California Technology Ventures LLC and Innomed Ventures, an Israeli venture capital fund. "
Venture Capital Access Online | Venture Capital News
"Before the Call, the market and technology leader in on-demand sales intelligence solutions, has received $2.54 million in funding led by Gould Investments of Menlo Park. The Band of Angels, a formal group of more than 100 former and current high-tech executives in Silicon Valley, also contributed to the round, along with Steve Blank, Epiphany founder, and Martin Brauns, former CEO of Interwoven.
Before the Call will use the funds to finance its go-to-market strategy, increase marketing and sales efforts, and expand the company's on-demand sales intelligence offering to a broader group of customer relationship management vendors. Its sales intelligence solution currently runs on salesforce.com's AppExchange, the world's first on-demand platform.
'There is an undeniable need for greater efficiency within the intelligence-gathering part of the sales process, which is typically expensive, disjointed and extremely time-consuming,' said Kathryn Gould, who heads up Gould Investments. 'Before the Call dramatically improves sales effectiveness by letting reps focus on closing deals instead of on research, and its on-demand model costs a fraction of what traditional intelligence tools run.' "
Before the Call will use the funds to finance its go-to-market strategy, increase marketing and sales efforts, and expand the company's on-demand sales intelligence offering to a broader group of customer relationship management vendors. Its sales intelligence solution currently runs on salesforce.com's AppExchange, the world's first on-demand platform.
'There is an undeniable need for greater efficiency within the intelligence-gathering part of the sales process, which is typically expensive, disjointed and extremely time-consuming,' said Kathryn Gould, who heads up Gould Investments. 'Before the Call dramatically improves sales effectiveness by letting reps focus on closing deals instead of on research, and its on-demand model costs a fraction of what traditional intelligence tools run.' "
Two firms take 35 percent control of Plug Power with $217M investment: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
"Russian investment firm Interros and Norilsk Nickel, one of the world's largest producers of nickel and palladium, plan to make a $217 million cash investment in Plug Power Inc., a developer of fuel-cell systems."
United Online Buys MyPoints for $56M
"ISP and online media company United Online, the parent of Classmates.com, has purchased loyalty player MyPoints.com from United Airlines (UAL) for $56 million in cash.
The deal follows Classmates.com's acquisition last month of Opobox, which operates social networking site The Names Database, for approximately $10 million in cash. "
The deal follows Classmates.com's acquisition last month of Opobox, which operates social networking site The Names Database, for approximately $10 million in cash. "
Daytrading Eminis Forex trading Swing Trading BREAKING NEWS - 218619
"Salesforce.com Acquires Sendia For $15 Mln In Cash; Reveals Next Generation Of Mobile Applications With AppExchange Mobile - Quick Facts"
WSJ.com - Salesforce.com to Buy Sendia
"Salesforce.com Inc. plans to announce its first acquisition today, a deal designed to help the fast-growing Web service provide more offerings for mobile users.
The San Francisco-based company said it has agreed to buy closely held Sendia Corp., which sells technology that lets users tap into Web services using hand-held computers and smart phones, for $15 million. Though the price tag is relatively small, the deal underscores how companies that once only served desktop-PC users are scrambling to satisfy workers on the go."
The San Francisco-based company said it has agreed to buy closely held Sendia Corp., which sells technology that lets users tap into Web services using hand-held computers and smart phones, for $15 million. Though the price tag is relatively small, the deal underscores how companies that once only served desktop-PC users are scrambling to satisfy workers on the go."
Skype Acquires Sonorit and Camino Networks: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
"Skype(TM), the global Internet communications company, today announced that it has acquired Sonorit Holding AS and its US subsidiary Camino Networks, Inc., a provider of voice technology for the Internet. The acquisition will allow Skype to add some of the leading experts in online voice engineering to its own team of technologists to help design and develop Skype for the future."
Monday, April 10, 2006
Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal: Menlo Park firms invest in LA online video company - 2006-04-10
"Bessemer Venture Partners and Draper Fisher Jurvetson contributed to $8.7 million in second round funding for Revver Inc., a company that distributes and tracks online videos.
Revver, based in Los Angeles, is the first company that venture firms Bessemer Venture Partners and Draper Fisher Jurvetson, which are both based in Menlo Park; and San Francisco-based Draper Richards have collectively funded since Skype Technologies S.A., the telephone company owned by San Jose-based eBay Inc. that lets consumers make voice calls using their broadband connections. "
Revver, based in Los Angeles, is the first company that venture firms Bessemer Venture Partners and Draper Fisher Jurvetson, which are both based in Menlo Park; and San Francisco-based Draper Richards have collectively funded since Skype Technologies S.A., the telephone company owned by San Jose-based eBay Inc. that lets consumers make voice calls using their broadband connections. "
TheDeal.com - Tech Confidential Magazine
"The pace of technology mergers and acquisitions has shown no signs of abating so far this year. In fact, the size and depth of dealmaking is ever more robust.
Not only are the larger serial acquirers of the past few years still in the hunt. So, too, are a new band of corporate dealmakers and private equity players who in the first quarter of 2006 dominated dealmaking. (See table)
Aside from Mountain View, Calif.-based VeriSign Inc., which has already made five acquisitions in 2006, none of the 10 most frequent technology acquirers last year has negotiated one of the top 10 takeovers in the first quarter of 2006. But that's not to say technology's most acquisitive companies over the past three years have been inactive."
Not only are the larger serial acquirers of the past few years still in the hunt. So, too, are a new band of corporate dealmakers and private equity players who in the first quarter of 2006 dominated dealmaking. (See table)
Aside from Mountain View, Calif.-based VeriSign Inc., which has already made five acquisitions in 2006, none of the 10 most frequent technology acquirers last year has negotiated one of the top 10 takeovers in the first quarter of 2006. But that's not to say technology's most acquisitive companies over the past three years have been inactive."
Tech-Confidential: Blogging for dollars
"For the past decade or so mainstream media companies have been experimenting with ways to use the Internet and new technologies to make money. According to this article from Reuters, the focus has shifted to using the Internet to save money. Blog technology company Pluck Corp.'s service, BlogBurst, will provide headlines and articles from a network of 600 bloggers for newspaper publishers to use in the news or feature sections of both online and print editions."
Emptoris diCart - Press Releases
"Burlington, MA and San Carlos, CA � (April 10, 2006) � Emptoris, an Enterprise Supply Management solutions provider for Global 2000 companies and diCarta, Inc., a leading provider of Enterprise Contract Management software, today announced the completion of their merger in the first quarter. This follows a two and a half year partnership. Teams from the two companies had been working closely together for the past nine months. The combined company, Emptoris, delivers enhanced solutions to large companies that accelerate profitable growth through comprehensive supply management and enterprise-wide contract management. "
JMP considering IPO as boutique-bank stocks soar - MarketWatch
"JMP Securities LLC is considering selling shares in an initial public offering, lured by the soaring shares of rival investment-banking boutiques such as Greenhill & Co., Lazard Ltd. and Thomas Weisel Partners.
'Very clearly, an IPO is something that may occur,' said Craig Johnson, president of San Francisco-based JMP, in an interview on Monday. 'The invisible hand of the market has a very positive view of businesses like ours. The stars are aligning in such a way that this is an alternative now.' "
'Very clearly, an IPO is something that may occur,' said Craig Johnson, president of San Francisco-based JMP, in an interview on Monday. 'The invisible hand of the market has a very positive view of businesses like ours. The stars are aligning in such a way that this is an alternative now.' "
RED HERRING | Q&A: Vontu's Michael Wolfe
"Until recently, most companies worried about outside threats like viruses, worms, and hacker attacks. But now companies are looking more closely at people who are already inside their networks. Watching employees, enforcing company policy, and monitoring data that leave the network has become big business.
The worldwide market for insider threat management segment or what IDC calls �outbound content compliance� could be worth $1.9-billion by 2009, according to the research firm (see Protection from Inside Out). It is one of the reasons why a number of startups have flooded the security market offering to protect companies from data leakage. "
The worldwide market for insider threat management segment or what IDC calls �outbound content compliance� could be worth $1.9-billion by 2009, according to the research firm (see Protection from Inside Out). It is one of the reasons why a number of startups have flooded the security market offering to protect companies from data leakage. "
RED HERRING | Q&A: David Skok on JBoss Deal
"The world of open source changed Monday with the acquisition of JBoss in a deal worth up to $420 million.
The combined company could become something like a Microsoft for the open source industry, providing operating systems and middleware. JBoss�s open source middleware, which is the glue that connects operating systems to applications, is a cheap alternative to license-based middleware from software providers such as IBM, Oracle, and BEA Systems."
The combined company could become something like a Microsoft for the open source industry, providing operating systems and middleware. JBoss�s open source middleware, which is the glue that connects operating systems to applications, is a cheap alternative to license-based middleware from software providers such as IBM, Oracle, and BEA Systems."
Next Prius to offer 94 mpg? | Leftlane News - Car News For Enthusiasts
"The next Toyota Prius will offer an astonishing 113 mpg, according to a report by the U.K.�s AutoExpress magazine. (Note: 113 mpg in the U.K. is equal to 94 mpg here in North America). �The whole electrical system has been redesigned to improve economy� said a Toyota engineer was quoted as saying. "
alarm:clock: RedHat, Not Oracle, Gets JBoss for $350M
"Red Hat has acquired JBoss for approximately $350M. JBoss is an open source application server company. InfoWorld estimated that JBoss did about $20M in revenue last year and might do $50M this year. That implies a 7X forward revenues multiple. "
Google settlement or not, click fraud won't go away | CNET News.com
"Certainly, Google and Yahoo, which run the two largest pay-per-click advertising networks, say they're addressing the problem. But some click auditing companies still claim that between 20 percent and 35 percent of clicks on Net advertisements are fraudulent."
Red Hat scoops up JBoss | CNET News.com
"Linux distributor Red Hat said Monday that it signed an agreement to buy open-source company JBoss for at least $350 million, a move that expands Red Hat's product line and adds to its growth potential.
The transaction involves 40 percent cash and 60 percent Red Hat stock, with an additional $70 million owed, subject to financial performance. Red Hat said the deal, which is expected to close next month, will add to the company's earnings next year. "
The transaction involves 40 percent cash and 60 percent Red Hat stock, with an additional $70 million owed, subject to financial performance. Red Hat said the deal, which is expected to close next month, will add to the company's earnings next year. "
Saturday, April 08, 2006
HHGL: Hip-Hop Gaming League: SNOOP DOGG UNVEILS NEW VIDEOGAME LEAGUE FOR HIP HOP STARS
He ain't the Snoop for nothing. Things are heating up over at HHGL.
The Hip Hop Gaming League (HHGL) Announces Inaugural Season Lineup of A-List Music and Pro Sports Competitors
Santa Monica, Calif. – February 28, 2006 – Today, the Global Gaming League (www.GGL.com), experts in online competitive video game tournaments, and Snoop Dogg jointly announced the formation of the Hip Hop Gaming League (www. HHGL.com). Snoop will serve as the league’s first commissioner ensuring that all matches—played online via Xbox Live for the Xbox 360™—are electrifying but fair.
The inaugural season player lineup includes stars such as Proof (D12), Paul Wall, Just Blaze, Krazyie Bone of Grammy winners Bone-Thugs-n-Harmony, MLS soccer star Cobi Jones, Murs, Kaine (Ying Yang Twins), NBA Star Jalen Rose, Twista, Fredwreck, BReal of Cypress Hill, Eric V. of the Baka Boyz, and Wutang Clan founder Method Man. Players were selected based on their reputations for top videogame skills, as well as for their prominence in the hip hop community.
The inaugural season kicked off with three major events: Snoop’s Press Conference, Snoop’s Player Draft announcement, and the HHGL Launch Party at the NBA All Star Game in Houston. Extensive video footage from each of these events is available exclusively online at HHGL.com.
League matches begin online starting in March 2006 and conclude in May with a live Finals event in Las Vegas presided over by Snoop himself. At the finals event, the first ever HHGL World Champion will be crowned and awarded eternal bragging rights. Also, a substantial donation will be made to the Snoop Youth Football League on the champion’s behalf.
"I’m an initiator, and this new intersection of hip hop and video gaming is something that’s ready to happen,� said Commissioner Snoop. “Hip hop loves video gaming, and I’ve been watching this develop into the next big sport. The HHGL is my way of taking it to the next level. We’re going to take this thing straight over the stratosphere, and the whole world can watch and participate as people like myself -- who hate to lose -- put it on the line."
All HHGL players will have custom Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system’s professionally installed in the location of their choice (crib, tour bus, favorite club, etc), and all competition will take place over the Xbox Live® network. Xbox 360 and Xbox Live are the official console and online gaming sponsor of the HHGL inaugural season, joining platinum sponsor Sprite in promoting the league and making exclusive content available to its customers.
All HHGL matches will be officially sanctioned by the GGL meaning that they are guaranteed to have no lag and to be completely fair. The videogames selected for the inaugural season were still being reviewed by Commissioner Snoop and the GGL at press time with an announcement expected shortly. It is projected that Xbox 360 sports games will figure prominently in League play.
“There will be no place to hide,� said GGL Chairman Ted Owen. “Both the online and live play will be real matches played under pro competition quality conditions. Commissioner Snoop and GGL’s expert pro gamers, tournament organizers, and match broadcasters will all assure that this thing is very real,� said Owen. “These stars love to compete, but they are rarely in the same place at the same time. So, GGL’s ability to organize them online through the Xbox Live network allows them to pursue their gaming passion wherever they may be. This is how the world will play as this exciting broadband-driven competition rapidly moves forward.� HHGL fans will be able to follow all the action 24-7 -- including watching matches, listening in on outrageous trashtalk, viewing highlights, accessing a deep archive of video clips, tracking results and stats, and sharing their own comments, blogs and videos -- all at HHGL.com.
ABOUT THE HIP HOP GAMING LEAGUE: The Hip Hop Gaming League is the GGL’s newest online video game community designed to introduce the world of hip hop to the world of competitive online gaming. The HHGL website is the battleground where MCs and international gaming champions compete and showcase their skills for a global audience. The HHGL kicked of its inaugural season in 2006 with an A-list celebrity tournament commissioned by Snoop Dogg. Ensuing seasons of the HHGL will involve both celebrities and non-celebrities. The GGL monitors and manages all league operations for the HHGL. For more information, visit: www.hhgl.com
The Hip Hop Gaming League (HHGL) Announces Inaugural Season Lineup of A-List Music and Pro Sports Competitors
Santa Monica, Calif. – February 28, 2006 – Today, the Global Gaming League (www.GGL.com), experts in online competitive video game tournaments, and Snoop Dogg jointly announced the formation of the Hip Hop Gaming League (www. HHGL.com). Snoop will serve as the league’s first commissioner ensuring that all matches—played online via Xbox Live for the Xbox 360™—are electrifying but fair.
The inaugural season player lineup includes stars such as Proof (D12), Paul Wall, Just Blaze, Krazyie Bone of Grammy winners Bone-Thugs-n-Harmony, MLS soccer star Cobi Jones, Murs, Kaine (Ying Yang Twins), NBA Star Jalen Rose, Twista, Fredwreck, BReal of Cypress Hill, Eric V. of the Baka Boyz, and Wutang Clan founder Method Man. Players were selected based on their reputations for top videogame skills, as well as for their prominence in the hip hop community.
The inaugural season kicked off with three major events: Snoop’s Press Conference, Snoop’s Player Draft announcement, and the HHGL Launch Party at the NBA All Star Game in Houston. Extensive video footage from each of these events is available exclusively online at HHGL.com.
League matches begin online starting in March 2006 and conclude in May with a live Finals event in Las Vegas presided over by Snoop himself. At the finals event, the first ever HHGL World Champion will be crowned and awarded eternal bragging rights. Also, a substantial donation will be made to the Snoop Youth Football League on the champion’s behalf.
"I’m an initiator, and this new intersection of hip hop and video gaming is something that’s ready to happen,� said Commissioner Snoop. “Hip hop loves video gaming, and I’ve been watching this develop into the next big sport. The HHGL is my way of taking it to the next level. We’re going to take this thing straight over the stratosphere, and the whole world can watch and participate as people like myself -- who hate to lose -- put it on the line."
All HHGL players will have custom Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system’s professionally installed in the location of their choice (crib, tour bus, favorite club, etc), and all competition will take place over the Xbox Live® network. Xbox 360 and Xbox Live are the official console and online gaming sponsor of the HHGL inaugural season, joining platinum sponsor Sprite in promoting the league and making exclusive content available to its customers.
All HHGL matches will be officially sanctioned by the GGL meaning that they are guaranteed to have no lag and to be completely fair. The videogames selected for the inaugural season were still being reviewed by Commissioner Snoop and the GGL at press time with an announcement expected shortly. It is projected that Xbox 360 sports games will figure prominently in League play.
“There will be no place to hide,� said GGL Chairman Ted Owen. “Both the online and live play will be real matches played under pro competition quality conditions. Commissioner Snoop and GGL’s expert pro gamers, tournament organizers, and match broadcasters will all assure that this thing is very real,� said Owen. “These stars love to compete, but they are rarely in the same place at the same time. So, GGL’s ability to organize them online through the Xbox Live network allows them to pursue their gaming passion wherever they may be. This is how the world will play as this exciting broadband-driven competition rapidly moves forward.� HHGL fans will be able to follow all the action 24-7 -- including watching matches, listening in on outrageous trashtalk, viewing highlights, accessing a deep archive of video clips, tracking results and stats, and sharing their own comments, blogs and videos -- all at HHGL.com.
ABOUT THE HIP HOP GAMING LEAGUE: The Hip Hop Gaming League is the GGL’s newest online video game community designed to introduce the world of hip hop to the world of competitive online gaming. The HHGL website is the battleground where MCs and international gaming champions compete and showcase their skills for a global audience. The HHGL kicked of its inaugural season in 2006 with an A-list celebrity tournament commissioned by Snoop Dogg. Ensuing seasons of the HHGL will involve both celebrities and non-celebrities. The GGL monitors and manages all league operations for the HHGL. For more information, visit: www.hhgl.com
VC Firm 3i Group Invests Heavily in Mainland
"Global venture capital company 3i Group said it would invest in four to five companies in the Chinese mainland every year, investing between US$20 million to US$100 million in each, in the coming years.
'We are realizing the opportunities in the economic growth of the Chinese mainland and India,' Jamie Paton, managing director of 3i Asia Pacific, told China Daily. 'Over the past five years, we have poured about US$400 million across Asia.'
Managing US$11.7 billion globally, 3i Group said it is in talks to invest in three mainland firms and wishes to finalize the deals in two to three months.
One is in the manufacturing sector and two are in consumer sector, Paton said.
All three firms are still in developing stages and it may take two to three years to make them strong, he said.
3i will invest US$20 million to US$100 million in each company and plans to exit by listing the three companies overseas in three years. "
'We are realizing the opportunities in the economic growth of the Chinese mainland and India,' Jamie Paton, managing director of 3i Asia Pacific, told China Daily. 'Over the past five years, we have poured about US$400 million across Asia.'
Managing US$11.7 billion globally, 3i Group said it is in talks to invest in three mainland firms and wishes to finalize the deals in two to three months.
One is in the manufacturing sector and two are in consumer sector, Paton said.
All three firms are still in developing stages and it may take two to three years to make them strong, he said.
3i will invest US$20 million to US$100 million in each company and plans to exit by listing the three companies overseas in three years. "
A Radical Fix for Airlines: Make Flying Free: Weekend - Yahoo! Finance
"Michael O'Leary, Chief Executive of Ireland's Ryanair, Europe's most profitable airline, wants to make air travel free. Not free as in free from regulation, but free as in zero cost. By the end of the decade, he promises, 'more than half of our passengers will fly free.'
The remarkable thing is, few analysts think his prediction is far-fetched: Ryanair already offers free fares to a quarter of its customers. "
The remarkable thing is, few analysts think his prediction is far-fetched: Ryanair already offers free fares to a quarter of its customers. "
WSJ.com - Virus Fuels a Battery Breakthrough
"Many researchers focus on stopping the replication of viruses that bring illness or death.
But Angela Belcher is excited about promoting the replication of viruses -- and harnessing them to create high-performance devices for practical applications.
Dr. Belcher, a materials scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, heads a team that has successfully created a battery assembled by a benign biological virus that binds to gold and cobalt oxide.
Her invention is an advance in the emerging science of using biological methods to create new materials, and also falls within the field of nanotechnology -- the development of useful devices from bits of material so small they are measured in atoms."
But Angela Belcher is excited about promoting the replication of viruses -- and harnessing them to create high-performance devices for practical applications.
Dr. Belcher, a materials scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, heads a team that has successfully created a battery assembled by a benign biological virus that binds to gold and cobalt oxide.
Her invention is an advance in the emerging science of using biological methods to create new materials, and also falls within the field of nanotechnology -- the development of useful devices from bits of material so small they are measured in atoms."
Personal Technology -- Personal Technology from The Wall Street Journal.
"For mainstream computer users doing typical tasks, Apple Computer's Macintosh models have huge advantages over the prevalent Windows computers from companies such as Dell and Hewlett-Packard. The Macs have sleeker hardware designs, a superior operating system, much better built-in software, and virtually no exposure to viruses and spyware. Apple's flagship model, the iMac, is the best consumer desktop on the market."
Friday, April 07, 2006
SEOmoz's Web 2.0 Awards
Award categories:
Blog Guides
Bookmarking
Books
Business, Money, and eCommerce
Classifieds & Business Directories
Collaborative Writing & Word Processing
Communication: Email & Chat
Content Aggregation and Management
Digital Content Resale
Digital Storage & Remote Access
Events
Feed Management Services
Feedback (Q&A)
Games
Grassroots
Lists & Polls
Mapping
Marketing
Mashups & More
Music
Peer Production News
Personal Organization
Philanthropy
Photos & Digital Images
Podcasts
Real Estate
Retail
Social Networking
Social Tagging
Spreadsheets
Start Pages
Travel
Trusted Search
Video
Visual Arts
Web Development & Design
Wikis (Hosted)
Blog Guides
Bookmarking
Books
Business, Money, and eCommerce
Classifieds & Business Directories
Collaborative Writing & Word Processing
Communication: Email & Chat
Content Aggregation and Management
Digital Content Resale
Digital Storage & Remote Access
Events
Feed Management Services
Feedback (Q&A)
Games
Grassroots
Lists & Polls
Mapping
Marketing
Mashups & More
Music
Peer Production News
Personal Organization
Philanthropy
Photos & Digital Images
Podcasts
Real Estate
Retail
Social Networking
Social Tagging
Spreadsheets
Start Pages
Travel
Trusted Search
Video
Visual Arts
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AJAX Company Zimbra Gets Another $14.5M @ SYS-CON AUSTRALIA
"Zimbra (http://www.zimbra.com/), one of the most talked about new companies in open source, next-generation collaboration and messaging, announced the completion of a $14.5 million Series C round of financing. The investors in this round, Presidio STX, the U.S.-based venture investment subsidiary of Sumitomo Corporation, and Duff Ackerman & Goodrich ('DAG') join existing investors Benchmark Capital, Accel Partners, Redpoint Ventures and Inventures Group to complete the series C round."
Massive in Exclusive MLB Advanced Media Pact
"Massive Incorporated, one of the leading vendors in the in-game advertising business, has signed a deal with the game publisher 2K Sports and Major League Baseball to begin serving dynamic advertisements into the game Major League Baseball 2K6, which ships to stores this week.
As part of the complex arrangement, Massive becomes as exclusive partner with MLB Advanced Media in certain licensed video games, along with becoming an official gaming partner of the Major League Baseball Players Association. "
As part of the complex arrangement, Massive becomes as exclusive partner with MLB Advanced Media in certain licensed video games, along with becoming an official gaming partner of the Major League Baseball Players Association. "
MobiTV to Deliver TV to WiFi
"MobiTV, which provides a subscription-based product that delivers live TV to cell phones, is expanding into WiFi, enabling consumers to view live TV via their personal computers.
The Emeryville, Calif.-based company has inked a deal with AT&T to provide its subscribers the ability to access MobiTV's content lineup at 10,000 hotspots in the United States beginning sometime this month.
Using a Web-based MobiTV player, subscribers (paying $10-$15 per month) with WiFi capability will be able to watch live footage of networks such as Fox News or the Food Network via their laptops in a public place. "
The Emeryville, Calif.-based company has inked a deal with AT&T to provide its subscribers the ability to access MobiTV's content lineup at 10,000 hotspots in the United States beginning sometime this month.
Using a Web-based MobiTV player, subscribers (paying $10-$15 per month) with WiFi capability will be able to watch live footage of networks such as Fox News or the Food Network via their laptops in a public place. "
PayPal Mobile Payments Official - internetnews.com
"Amid a flurry of announcements at CTIA today, PayPal officially rolled out PayPal Mobile, calling the SMS payment system the first of its kind.
Then they corrected themselves, admitting there may be some smaller companies with similar services already available.
But they don't really matter, PayPal said. And analysts agreed.
First introduced last month, PayPal Mobile allows users to send a text to 'PayPal' (729725) from their phones and enter the dollar amount they want to send to a particular vendor, charity or user ID number.
PayPal will then contact the mobile user to confirm and complete the transaction.
Forrester Research analyst Sucharita Mulpuru is enthusiastic about the service.
'Conceptually, it's a great idea,' she told internetnews.com. 'It's the easiest system I've seen. Before if you were going to pay on your cell phone, you'd have to get a lot more pieces involved.'
Dana Stalder, PayPal senior vice president of business operations, gushed at praise like that. "
Then they corrected themselves, admitting there may be some smaller companies with similar services already available.
But they don't really matter, PayPal said. And analysts agreed.
First introduced last month, PayPal Mobile allows users to send a text to 'PayPal' (729725) from their phones and enter the dollar amount they want to send to a particular vendor, charity or user ID number.
PayPal will then contact the mobile user to confirm and complete the transaction.
Forrester Research analyst Sucharita Mulpuru is enthusiastic about the service.
'Conceptually, it's a great idea,' she told internetnews.com. 'It's the easiest system I've seen. Before if you were going to pay on your cell phone, you'd have to get a lot more pieces involved.'
Dana Stalder, PayPal senior vice president of business operations, gushed at praise like that. "
Quote du jour - Yahoo! Finance
"'The fastest way to attract a large number of people to a new behavior and to have them try something that has never been possible before is to make it available for free,' said Kevin Conroy, executive vice president of AOL Media Networks."
Networks Rush to Offer TV Shows Online: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
"Six months after ABC struck the first deal to sell commercial-free TV episodes online, networks are rushing to offer everything from individual programs to season subscriptions."
Playphone and Mforma - Wireless Week
"PlayPhone announced a deal to distribute Hands-On Mobile (formerly MForma) titles through its direct-to-consumer channels at retail, online and via the mobile web. New game titles will include Marvel's X-Men Legends, Dracula, and Puzzle Bobble."
Yahoo SK Telecom | Reuters.com
" Internet media company Yahoo Inc. (YHOO.O: Quote, Profile, Research) on Thursday denied a newspaper report that it is in talks to sell its wholly-owned South Korean arm to a unit of SK Telecom Co. Ltd. (017670.KS: Quote, Profile, Research)."
Thursday, April 06, 2006
WSJ.com - Chief of Mergers at J.P. Morgan Is Leaving for Morgan Stanley
"NEW YORK -- J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. global mergers-and-acquisitions head Robert A. Kindler is defecting to rival Morgan Stanley in one of the most high-profile M&A shake-ups of the year.
Mr. Kindler, 52 years old, will become a vice chairman of investment banking at Morgan Stanley, which has the same historic roots -- and headquarters in Manhattan just a mile west of J.P. Morgan."
Mr. Kindler, 52 years old, will become a vice chairman of investment banking at Morgan Stanley, which has the same historic roots -- and headquarters in Manhattan just a mile west of J.P. Morgan."
New York Post Online Edition: business
" Sex-fueled office banter between two female Morgan Stanley executives led to the bank's firing of a technology pro, the booted computer man has alleged in an affidavit obtained by The Post.
Arthur Riel, a former $500,000-a-year tech executive for Morgan's busy legal department, made the charges in court documents filed late Tuesday.
Riel also has claimed in a wrongful-termination suit that e-mails he uncovered show Morgan using its massive technology-purchasing budget to win underwriting mandates from firms that sold equipment to the Wall Street giant. "
Arthur Riel, a former $500,000-a-year tech executive for Morgan's busy legal department, made the charges in court documents filed late Tuesday.
Riel also has claimed in a wrongful-termination suit that e-mails he uncovered show Morgan using its massive technology-purchasing budget to win underwriting mandates from firms that sold equipment to the Wall Street giant. "
EETimes.com - Siano raises $23 million in second round
"Siano Mobile Silicon Ltd., a fabless semiconductor company developing mobile digital television chip sets, has closed its Series B round of funding at approximately $23 million.
The lead investor in the funding round was Bessemer Venture Partners from the U.S., which joined with the three Israeli VCs that participated in the company's $11.5 million Series A round in April 2005.
The closure was reported to be close in February 2006. "
The lead investor in the funding round was Bessemer Venture Partners from the U.S., which joined with the three Israeli VCs that participated in the company's $11.5 million Series A round in April 2005.
The closure was reported to be close in February 2006. "
PEWire: Amp'd
"*** Speaking of the mobile space, I just noticed a regulatory filing confirming that Amp�d Mobile raised over $100 million in the first part of its Series D funding (as this space reported a few weeks ago). It�s $105.95 million to be exact, with more expected shortly. "
PEWire: Qpass and Amdocs
"*** Speaking of Bill Bryant, his former company QPass reportedly is in talks to be acquired for more than $250 million by Amdocs. An announcement could come this week during CTIA. "
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Windows or Mac? Apple Says Both - New York Times
"After long imploring computer users to 'think different' and defining the Macintosh as a lone bulwark against the Windows onslaught, Apple Computer has decided to open the gate, at least a bit.
Two decades after the first Mac arrived, Apple said Wednesday that it would offer users of its latest models a simple way to run the Microsoft Windows operating system as well as its own. "
Two decades after the first Mac arrived, Apple said Wednesday that it would offer users of its latest models a simple way to run the Microsoft Windows operating system as well as its own. "
YouTube receives $8 million in venture funding | News.blog | CNET News.com
"Video upload site YouTube.com has received $8 million in funding from venture capital firm Sequoia Capital, the companies announced Wednesday.
This latest round of funding comes five months after Sequoia invested $3.5 million into YouTube, a site that has grown rapidly by building an online community where a mixture of homemade and professionally produced video clips are presented.
'The additional capital will be used to advance the company?s rapid growth, expand sales and marketing efforts,' the company said in a statement, adding that the money will also go to helping the company expand its data centers.
Formed 13 months ago, San Mateo, Calif.-based YouTube said that the site handles about 35 million viewings and receives 35,000 clips uploaded daily."
This latest round of funding comes five months after Sequoia invested $3.5 million into YouTube, a site that has grown rapidly by building an online community where a mixture of homemade and professionally produced video clips are presented.
'The additional capital will be used to advance the company?s rapid growth, expand sales and marketing efforts,' the company said in a statement, adding that the money will also go to helping the company expand its data centers.
Formed 13 months ago, San Mateo, Calif.-based YouTube said that the site handles about 35 million viewings and receives 35,000 clips uploaded daily."
InformationWeek | McAfee | McAfee Buys Search-Warning SiteAdvisor | April 5, 2006
"McAfee announced Wednesday that it had acquired Boston-based SiteAdvisor to add complementary defenses for customers surfing the Internet.
Early last month, the privately-held SiteAdvisor launched free Internet Explorer and Firefox plug-ins that reveal dangerous Web sites listed by popular search engines, including Google, MSN, and Yahoo, before users click on a link.
At the time, chief executive Chris Dixon blasted traditional security companies like McAfee as leaving 'a big hole in consumers' Web safety armor because they don't know what's safe to click in the first place.'
In a statement Wednesday, Dixon sang a different tune. 'We're excited about the ability to bring SiteAdvisor's Web safety protection to existing and new McAfee users,' Dixon said in a statement. 'We can't think of a better partner to help take SiteAdvisor to the next level.'
With SiteAdvisor's plug-in installed, users see green, yellow, or red tags beside hits in search results on Google, MSN, and Yahoo. The tags -- red represents sites that heavily spam visitors, host spyware and adware, or hijack browser home pages -- give users a heads-up before they click. "
Early last month, the privately-held SiteAdvisor launched free Internet Explorer and Firefox plug-ins that reveal dangerous Web sites listed by popular search engines, including Google, MSN, and Yahoo, before users click on a link.
At the time, chief executive Chris Dixon blasted traditional security companies like McAfee as leaving 'a big hole in consumers' Web safety armor because they don't know what's safe to click in the first place.'
In a statement Wednesday, Dixon sang a different tune. 'We're excited about the ability to bring SiteAdvisor's Web safety protection to existing and new McAfee users,' Dixon said in a statement. 'We can't think of a better partner to help take SiteAdvisor to the next level.'
With SiteAdvisor's plug-in installed, users see green, yellow, or red tags beside hits in search results on Google, MSN, and Yahoo. The tags -- red represents sites that heavily spam visitors, host spyware and adware, or hijack browser home pages -- give users a heads-up before they click. "
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
RED HERRING | Yahoo Upgrades Finance Portal
"Yahoo Finance, facing new competition from Google, has added a ranking system for the postings made on its message boards.
Google added a beta site, Google Finance, in late March that included several innovative features such as information on both public and private companies, easily accessible bios of corporate executives, archived news on topics, and blog postings (see Google Adds a Finance Service).
Yahoo sees the need to add innovations of its own, and has decided to capitalize on the activity on its message boards, where users trade investment advice and stock tips.
Frequent traders love to exchange tips on what�s hot and what�s not, although there have been numerous instances where false information is disseminated by unscrupulous traders trying to push a stock up or drive it down. Such activities are illegal, but it is often difficult for regulators to find the culprits."
Google added a beta site, Google Finance, in late March that included several innovative features such as information on both public and private companies, easily accessible bios of corporate executives, archived news on topics, and blog postings (see Google Adds a Finance Service).
Yahoo sees the need to add innovations of its own, and has decided to capitalize on the activity on its message boards, where users trade investment advice and stock tips.
Frequent traders love to exchange tips on what�s hot and what�s not, although there have been numerous instances where false information is disseminated by unscrupulous traders trying to push a stock up or drive it down. Such activities are illegal, but it is often difficult for regulators to find the culprits."
Netflix sues Blockbuster to shut online service | CNET News.com
"Online DVD rental company Netflix on Tuesday sued rival Blockbuster for patent infringement, asking a federal judge in Northern California to shut down Blockbuster's 18-month-old online rental service and award Netflix damages, according to a copy of the filing. "
Intel invests in U.K. WiMax venture | CNET News.com
"Intel Capital is putting $25 million into a joint venture with ISP Pipex Communications to promote the use of long-range wireless broadband technology WiMax.
The fruit of the union, to be named Pipex Wireless, will provide WiMax access to homes, businesses and public sector organizations in U.K. metropolitan areas. London and Manchester will be the first cities to see a WiMax deployment from the new company, in 2007.
Pipex Wireless plans to roll out WiMax in the U.K.'s top eight population centers during 2008 and hopes to eventually sell its services in the top 50 metropolitan areas."
The fruit of the union, to be named Pipex Wireless, will provide WiMax access to homes, businesses and public sector organizations in U.K. metropolitan areas. London and Manchester will be the first cities to see a WiMax deployment from the new company, in 2007.
Pipex Wireless plans to roll out WiMax in the U.K.'s top eight population centers during 2008 and hopes to eventually sell its services in the top 50 metropolitan areas."
PMC-Sierra acquires Passave: $300mm - News Release
"PMC-Sierra, Inc. (NASDAQ: PMCS), a leading provider of broadband communications and storage semiconductors, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Passave Inc., a leading developer of system-on-chip semiconductor solutions for the Fiber To The Home (FTTH) access market. Based on analyst estimates and service provider announcements, it is estimated that between 45 and 60 million homes worldwide will be connected using Passive Optical Networking (PON) technology by 2010. The acquisition price of approximately $300 million is expected to be paid through the issuance of PMC-Sierra common stock. The deal is expected to close within April 2006 and is conditioned upon the receipt of normal governmental rulings. PMC-Sierra expects the acquisition will be neutral to earnings in the near term and accretive in three quarters based on expected revenue growth.
'Our acquisition of Passave brings PMC-Sierra an experienced and highly innovative team with clear market share leadership in Passive Optical Networking solutions. This acquisition fits with our strategic intent to address the high-growth Fiber Access market and is aligned with PMC's developments in Customer Premises Equipment,' said Bob Bailey, Chairman and CEO. 'PON is the ultimate Triple Play access technology and is key to the build-out of the second generation FTTH-based broadband infrastructure.'
Passave's solutions enable Service Providers to offer so-called 'Triple Play' services (voice, video and data) at up to 1Gbps over PON-based equipment. The Passave product line includes system-on-chip solutions for Optical Line Terminals (OLTs) for the Central Office, Optical Network Terminals (ONTs), and Optical Network Units (ONUs) solutions for residential termination equipm"
'Our acquisition of Passave brings PMC-Sierra an experienced and highly innovative team with clear market share leadership in Passive Optical Networking solutions. This acquisition fits with our strategic intent to address the high-growth Fiber Access market and is aligned with PMC's developments in Customer Premises Equipment,' said Bob Bailey, Chairman and CEO. 'PON is the ultimate Triple Play access technology and is key to the build-out of the second generation FTTH-based broadband infrastructure.'
Passave's solutions enable Service Providers to offer so-called 'Triple Play' services (voice, video and data) at up to 1Gbps over PON-based equipment. The Passave product line includes system-on-chip solutions for Optical Line Terminals (OLTs) for the Central Office, Optical Network Terminals (ONTs), and Optical Network Units (ONUs) solutions for residential termination equipm"
John Cook's Venture Blog: Pixsy
"Pixsy, with offices in Seattle and San Francisco, has launched a new visual search engine that scours RSS feeds from The New York Times, YouTube"
New Strategies Private Equity Firms are Using to Enhance Returns
"Facing high valuations, growing competition and mounting pressure from limited partners, private equity firms are seeking nontraditional strategies to achieve more predictable returns. For some, this has meant shifting exit preferences away from the initial public offering market, with an eye toward partnerships with strategic investors. For others, it has meant a heightened focus on operational performance. "
RED HERRING | Spam�s New Target: VoIP
"Fighting VoIP spam, which could end up making email spam seem like a minor irritant in comparison, has sparked venture capital interest. On March 15, Sipera raised $13.2 million in a second round of funding led by venture capital firm Sequoia Capital. The Richardson, Texas-based firm, which launched its first product earlier this year, protects businesses from viruses and other attacks on their VoIP systems in much the same way that security products shield computers. It monitors VoIP traffic and looks for anomalies in call patterns to detect SPIT.
SPIT could end up being a real drag for business. About 30 to 40 percent of new lines going into businesses are VoIP, says Seshu Madhavapeddy, Sipera�s CEO. �Voice-over-IP in enterprises is much more mature than most people realize,� says Mr. Madhavapeddy."
SPIT could end up being a real drag for business. About 30 to 40 percent of new lines going into businesses are VoIP, says Seshu Madhavapeddy, Sipera�s CEO. �Voice-over-IP in enterprises is much more mature than most people realize,� says Mr. Madhavapeddy."
PRESS RELEASE EMI Music Partners With Rhythm NewMedia to Trial Ad-Supported Mobile Music Video Business
"EMI Music, (LSE: EMI.L) the world's largest independent record company and Rhythm NewMedia, a mobile advertising company headquartered in Silicon Valley, are collaborating on pioneering advertising-supported mobile video trials with mobile carriers in the United States. EMI is the first major music company to experiment with ad-supported, on-demand and pre-programmed mobile video content, and is the exclusive music video provider partner for the trial.
The trials, already underway, offer participating consumers free mobile video content with television-style advertising embedded in a highly targeted fashion. The trials will continue through fall of 2006.
'Mobile continues to be a huge growth opportunity for EMI and an exciting way for fans to connect with artists. We're committed to exploring new ways of getting our content into the hands of music consumers using both proven and promising experimental business models,' said David Munns, Chairman and CEO, EMI Music North America. 'Rhythm NewMedia is at the forefront of innovation with their approach, and we're excited to be right there with them.' "
The trials, already underway, offer participating consumers free mobile video content with television-style advertising embedded in a highly targeted fashion. The trials will continue through fall of 2006.
'Mobile continues to be a huge growth opportunity for EMI and an exciting way for fans to connect with artists. We're committed to exploring new ways of getting our content into the hands of music consumers using both proven and promising experimental business models,' said David Munns, Chairman and CEO, EMI Music North America. 'Rhythm NewMedia is at the forefront of innovation with their approach, and we're excited to be right there with them.' "
Microsoft Adds A Little ProClarity
"Microsoft agreed to acquire business intelligence software specialist ProClarity Corp., a move that will increase the analysis and visualization technologies in its BI platform and pending Office 2007 suite.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
On paper at least, the move appears to be a natural fit for Microsoft. Since 1999, Boise, Idaho-based ProClarity has been a Microsoft partner in the BI space, where customers use information to make better business decisions and get better results.
ProClarity makes an 'analytics server,' which works with the following applications in Microsoft's BI platform: Office Business Scorecard Manager, Office Excel and SharePoint Portal Server. More than 1,200 customers currently use ProClarity software with Microsoft's BI platform. "
Financial terms were not disclosed.
On paper at least, the move appears to be a natural fit for Microsoft. Since 1999, Boise, Idaho-based ProClarity has been a Microsoft partner in the BI space, where customers use information to make better business decisions and get better results.
ProClarity makes an 'analytics server,' which works with the following applications in Microsoft's BI platform: Office Business Scorecard Manager, Office Excel and SharePoint Portal Server. More than 1,200 customers currently use ProClarity software with Microsoft's BI platform. "
Every Click You Make, They'll Be Watching You - New York Times
"Claria, a company once vilified for raining pop-up advertisements across the Internet through its Gator software, is betting its business that the answer is yes. Claria said it would announce Monday the release of PersonalWeb, a service that will let people download a piece of tracking software and receive a home page filled with news stories and other information tailored to their interests."
Word of Blog.net
"Word of Blog is a new and free service that helps you spread the word about things you like, events you care about and worthy causes you want to support.
Bloggers: You can pick and choose any of the badges appearing on this site and display them into your blog or website. Simply copy the HTML code appearing below the badge and paste it where you wish it to appear. The badges have been formatted to fit into most blog columns. -
Organizations: If you want to post a badge on this site so that bloggers can start spreading the 'word of blog' about you, please go to the 'Submit Badge' section."
Bloggers: You can pick and choose any of the badges appearing on this site and display them into your blog or website. Simply copy the HTML code appearing below the badge and paste it where you wish it to appear. The badges have been formatted to fit into most blog columns. -
Organizations: If you want to post a badge on this site so that bloggers can start spreading the 'word of blog' about you, please go to the 'Submit Badge' section."
Buyer and Seller Beware: Your Money - Yahoo! Finance
"'So much of what drives the housing market is human interpersonal dynamics,' says Yale University economist Robert J. Shiller."
Venture-Backed IPO Market Languished :: AO
"Only ten venture-backed companies raised $540.8 million through Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) in the first quarter of 2006, according to the Exit Poll report by Thomson Venture Economics and the National Venture Capital Association. While the first quarter is typically the lowest of the year for IPOs, offer amounts were also down considerably, as the first quarter�s average offer amount of $54.1 million is the lowest average since the third quarter of 2002, when the average offer amount was $30.0 million. Conversely, the venture-backed M&A market continued to perform strongly with 95 companies being acquired with a disclosed value of $4.8 billion, the highest total disclosed value in five years. "
The Internet Stock Blog: Microsoft�s AdCenter
"Microsoft�s AdCenter appears on track to launch in June � Many of the advertisers and online agencies we spoke with mentioned that they were currently enrolled in Microsoft�s AdCenter�s beta program. We were impressed in terms of Microsoft�s ability to sign-up multiple advertisers and agencies for its AdCenter beta program. We think that based on the number of advertisers and publishers who are participating in the AdCenter beta program and the general feedback we received that AdCenter is on track to be generally launched in June 2006. "
No more Bain bashing!! (PEWire)
"*** Anonymous (via the Top Secret button) writes: �Your constant Bain-bashing is growing increasingly tiresome and underscores your lack of understanding about what really matters to buyout investors. Funny how you're so smart as to identify the lunacy of their terms, and yet a who's-who of the most successful and experienced investors in the LP community re-ups with them and fights for capacity each time Bain brings a fund to market. Do you really think that everyone else is so naive and you are so perceptive? Bain's premium terms support 3x the bodies than those that are supported by their competitors' terms. The breadth and depth of Bain's resources let them go wider and deeper into the opportunities around them. The bottom line of this approach is that it has led to top net IRRs throughout Bain's history... You willing to print this?� Yup."
TheDeal.com - TA leads purchase of Global 360
"Boston private equity shop TA Associates has sponsored a $200 million buyout of Dallas-based tech firm Global 360 Inc..
Global provides software for business process management to several industries, including government, financial services and retail. Adidas, Wells Fargo & Co. and Los Angeles County are among its customers.
TA Associates acquired a majority stake in the company from Dallas businessman Sonny Oates, said Vivian Wu, a vice president at TA.
Technology Crossover Ventures, JMI Equity and management co-invested in the deal, which closed March 31.
Wu worked on the transaction, along with Kurt Jaggers, out of TA's Menlo Park, Calif., office.
She would not specify the size of the stakes or discuss the capital structure of the buyout.
The target's revenue is increasing by 20% to 25% a year, she said, while the $700 million business process management market is expected to expand 14% annually over five years. "
Global provides software for business process management to several industries, including government, financial services and retail. Adidas, Wells Fargo & Co. and Los Angeles County are among its customers.
TA Associates acquired a majority stake in the company from Dallas businessman Sonny Oates, said Vivian Wu, a vice president at TA.
Technology Crossover Ventures, JMI Equity and management co-invested in the deal, which closed March 31.
Wu worked on the transaction, along with Kurt Jaggers, out of TA's Menlo Park, Calif., office.
She would not specify the size of the stakes or discuss the capital structure of the buyout.
The target's revenue is increasing by 20% to 25% a year, she said, while the $700 million business process management market is expected to expand 14% annually over five years. "
PaidContent.org: April 03, 2006 Archives
"Plans for .xxx domain name has been shelved again, dealing another blow to the US-backed addressing system Icann.
Amidst various pressures from different groups, Icann's board decided to delay the plan again on Friday at a meeting in New Zealand. The latest hold-up was to allow time for the company which had applied to administer the new domain to prove that it had adequate safeguards in place, said Paul Twomey, ICANN's CEO. [by rafat] [Apr. 3, 06] "
Amidst various pressures from different groups, Icann's board decided to delay the plan again on Friday at a meeting in New Zealand. The latest hold-up was to allow time for the company which had applied to administer the new domain to prove that it had adequate safeguards in place, said Paul Twomey, ICANN's CEO. [by rafat] [Apr. 3, 06] "
WSJ.com - Glu Mobile Buys Game Publisher iFone
"Glu Mobile Inc., continuing a wave of consolidation in the mobile games industry, has acquired iFone Ltd., one of the leading publishers of games for cellphones in the U.K.
Terms of the deal between the two closely-held companies weren't disclosed. As part of the deal Glu Mobile of San Mateo, Calif., will acquire global distribution rights for iFone's top-selling titles including Monopoly, Lemmings and Atari classics. The company will also acquire European distribution rights for mobile games based on Sega Corp.'s Sonic the Hedgehog.
Greg Ballard, CEO of Glu, said the acquisition of iFone of Manchester, U.K., will allow Glu to strengthen its footing in Europe at a time when wireless carriers increasingly want to deal with large distributors of mobile content, rather than the thicket of smaller game makers that have populated startup-heavy mobile market."
Terms of the deal between the two closely-held companies weren't disclosed. As part of the deal Glu Mobile of San Mateo, Calif., will acquire global distribution rights for iFone's top-selling titles including Monopoly, Lemmings and Atari classics. The company will also acquire European distribution rights for mobile games based on Sega Corp.'s Sonic the Hedgehog.
Greg Ballard, CEO of Glu, said the acquisition of iFone of Manchester, U.K., will allow Glu to strengthen its footing in Europe at a time when wireless carriers increasingly want to deal with large distributors of mobile content, rather than the thicket of smaller game makers that have populated startup-heavy mobile market."
Peter O'Kelly's Reality Check: John Cook's Venture Blog - IPO window remains closed
"John Cook's Venture Blog - IPO window remains closed 'Venture capitalists may be partying like it is 1999. But the initial public offering market certainly isn't behaving that way."
Email Intelligence Pioneer Clearwell Systems Announces $12 Million in Funding: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
"Clearwell Systems, Inc., a pioneer in the Email Intelligence market, today announced that the company has closed $12 million in its second round of funding. Redpoint Ventures led the oversubscribed financing, with participation from existing investor, Sequoia Capital. Clearwell will use the funds to expand its sales force, bolster marketing, and increase its investment in research and development."
Monday, April 03, 2006
PRESS RELEASE Thomson's Viper Shooting Hollywood Hits
"Many of Hollywood's leading directors and cinematographers are creating their current projects using the Grass Valley Viper Filmstream digital cinematography camera from Thomson (Euronext Paris: 18453; NYSE: TMS). Unlike many other digital cinematography cameras the Viper, when used in the FilmStream mode, does not use any in-camera video processing, so it records the full gamut of the scene, delivering the maximum quality and resolution to post production. "
VCs paid $1M by Golden Leaf - Triangle - MSNBC.com
"Venture capitalists hired by the Golden Leaf Foundation have been paid almost $1 million in management fees to oversee a foundation investment that's yet to put any money into a North Carolina company.
Moreover, the managers who run Switzerland-based HBM BioCapital will continue to draw a 2 percent annual fee on Golden Leaf's investment commitment of $30 million as long as the VC has the money under management. "
Moreover, the managers who run Switzerland-based HBM BioCapital will continue to draw a 2 percent annual fee on Golden Leaf's investment commitment of $30 million as long as the VC has the money under management. "
WSJ.com - Start-Up Rapport to Set Plans To Try to Enhance Chip Design
"A Silicon Valley start-up today is set to discuss plans to pack more than 1,000 simple electronic processors on a chip, an extreme example of a major shift in semiconductor design.
Rapport Inc., a closely held company in Redwood City, Calif., is already marketing a chip that has 256 processors with low-power consumption, targeting applications that include managing video on cellphones. A 1,024-processor successor is expected in mid-2007. Rapport's chips also use a processor based on an International Business Machines Corp. design known as Power.
The announcement comes as companies such as Intel Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices have begun putting two calculating engines on their chips, boosting the performance of microprocessors used in personal computers. But some companies are producing much more complicated designs, targeting jobs that can be broken into small pieces and executed in parallel by multiple processors.
Cell, a chip jointly designed by IBM, Sony Corp. and Toshiba Corp. that will be used in Sony's next PlayStation console, features eight processors. 3Plus1 Technologies Inc., of Saratoga, Calif., is developing chips for cellphones with two to eight processors. PicoChip Designs Ltd., Bath, England, has focused mainly on cellular base stations with chips that have more than 300 processors."
Rapport Inc., a closely held company in Redwood City, Calif., is already marketing a chip that has 256 processors with low-power consumption, targeting applications that include managing video on cellphones. A 1,024-processor successor is expected in mid-2007. Rapport's chips also use a processor based on an International Business Machines Corp. design known as Power.
The announcement comes as companies such as Intel Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices have begun putting two calculating engines on their chips, boosting the performance of microprocessors used in personal computers. But some companies are producing much more complicated designs, targeting jobs that can be broken into small pieces and executed in parallel by multiple processors.
Cell, a chip jointly designed by IBM, Sony Corp. and Toshiba Corp. that will be used in Sony's next PlayStation console, features eight processors. 3Plus1 Technologies Inc., of Saratoga, Calif., is developing chips for cellphones with two to eight processors. PicoChip Designs Ltd., Bath, England, has focused mainly on cellular base stations with chips that have more than 300 processors."
MSN Money - 5 reader picks for tech's next big thing - Jubak's Journal
"I picked seven 'next big things':
The 'Cell' microprocessor;
The home-entertainment gateway;
The home-entertainment hub;
Internet telephony over mobile phones;
Electronic networked health-care records;
Mapping everywhere;
Batteries."
The 'Cell' microprocessor;
The home-entertainment gateway;
The home-entertainment hub;
Internet telephony over mobile phones;
Electronic networked health-care records;
Mapping everywhere;
Batteries."
Windows Live Ad Tests Underway
"Users of Microsoft Office Live, Windows Live Mail and MSN Spaces in a limited number of markets will begin seeing targeted display ads in those services.
Microsoft is testing multiple display formats with executions from 20 advertisers, including Coca-Cola Brazil, JCPenney and Monster Worldwide. Windows Live display ads are being tested in MSN Spaces in Australia and Italy. Windows Live Mail display ads are being tested in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and the United States. Office Live display ads are being tested in the U.S.
'We're confident that advertisers are going to see good results. We've been doing a lot of work on the back end to get ready for this and make sure it works,' Karen Redetzki, product manager for "
Microsoft is testing multiple display formats with executions from 20 advertisers, including Coca-Cola Brazil, JCPenney and Monster Worldwide. Windows Live display ads are being tested in MSN Spaces in Australia and Italy. Windows Live Mail display ads are being tested in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and the United States. Office Live display ads are being tested in the U.S.
'We're confident that advertisers are going to see good results. We've been doing a lot of work on the back end to get ready for this and make sure it works,' Karen Redetzki, product manager for "
AppleInsider | iSuppli teardown of iMac Core Duo reveals sub-$900 BOM
"Apple Computer's 1.83GHz iMac Core Duo is the first desktop system to be based on an Intel-manufactured microprocessor carries and carries a Bill of Materials (BOM) cost of $873, according to preliminary data from an iSuppli Corp.'s teardown analysis."
Techdirt: Facebook Adds $2 Billion Song To Go With $2 Billion Dance
"So congratulations to Facebook, not for building a business, but for successfully utilizing the Skype System For Inflating Your Purchase Price(TM). "
Barron's Online - WiMax May Be Waiting for Godot
"'It could be a $2 billion to $4 billion annual market, but can it be a $50 billion market like cellular infrastructure?' asks Ittai Kidron, who follows Motorola for CIBC World Markets in New York. 'I don't think so.'"
Sun Microsystems Opens the Power of The Network to Web 2.0 Entrepreneurs and Venture Capitalists: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
"Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW - News) today brought together leading Silicon Valley venture capitalists and their next-generation investments for a discussion on the technologies and business models enabling massive online participation and the resulting wealth creation. Sun Microsystems President and Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Schwartz hosted participants from venture firms Diamondhead Ventures, Hummer Winblad, Sierra Ventures and others. Entrepreneurs and start-ups in attendance included Reactivity among others."
Unstrung - WLANs/WiFi/802.11 - Li Takes Tropos Route - Wireless Networking News Analysis
"Tony Li, described by some in the industry as the telecom world's equivalent of a rock star, has joined mesh networking startup Tropos Networks Inc. to work on the firm's routing software, Unstrung has learned."
Unstrung -Li commentary
"Just when Tropos was getting traction, they go out and get a guy like Tony Li who doesn't have a track record of working well with people. To completely screw the company up, all they need to do next is get Randall Kruepp as CEO, and the Procket redux will be on Unstrung by this summer. Best wishes to Tropos - I hope the Li-factor gets them a buyer."
Raza Microelectronics
"Raza Microelectronics Inc., a Cupertino, Calif.-based developer of silicon solutions for next-gen information infrastructure, has secured around $10 million of a $35 million Series C funding round, according to a regulatory filing. Backers include Benchmark Capital, Warburg Pincus and Raza Foundries. www.razamicroelectronics.com"
Claria raises $40M: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
"Claria Corp. said Monday it raised $40 million in venture funding.
Softbank America, Rogers Communications, Asia Pacific Ventures and Sand Hill Capital gave money.
Claria sells software that pays attention to how consumers surf the web and aims particular ads at them based on their interests. The company's programs create a custom home page for browsers -- Claria released a beta version of the system Monday.
The Redwood City company will spend the money developing and marketing its products.
Separately, Claria said it inked a deal with Yahoo Japan to sell its products in that country.
Claria used to sell pop up advertising software, but has said it will leave that business by the end of the second quarter.
Published April 3, 2006 by San Francisco Business Times"
Softbank America, Rogers Communications, Asia Pacific Ventures and Sand Hill Capital gave money.
Claria sells software that pays attention to how consumers surf the web and aims particular ads at them based on their interests. The company's programs create a custom home page for browsers -- Claria released a beta version of the system Monday.
The Redwood City company will spend the money developing and marketing its products.
Separately, Claria said it inked a deal with Yahoo Japan to sell its products in that country.
Claria used to sell pop up advertising software, but has said it will leave that business by the end of the second quarter.
Published April 3, 2006 by San Francisco Business Times"
Tech-Confidential - SAP acquisition
"German software giant SAP AG said Monday it would buy Virsa Systems Inc., a regulatory-compliance and risk-management software company based in Fremont, Calif. Virsa is one of SAP's partners and investment portfolio companies. The two have signed a marketing, sales and development agreement whereby Virsa's core product, Compliance Calibrator, has been resold as an add-on to mySAP ERP, CNET News.com reported.
The deal marks the first acquisition this year for SAP. In November, it acquired Khimetrics Inc., a Scottsdale, Ariz. maker of a price optimization software, according to The Deal. "
The deal marks the first acquisition this year for SAP. In November, it acquired Khimetrics Inc., a Scottsdale, Ariz. maker of a price optimization software, according to The Deal. "
Yahoo brings user ratings to Finance postings | Reuters.com
"Internet media company Yahoo Inc. (YHOO.O: Quote, Profile, Research) on Monday introduced a ranking system on its popular Yahoo Finance site, allowing users to select the most useful tidbits of information from its message boards.
The ranking system appeared to be a new salvo by Yahoo against main rival Google Inc. (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research), which launched a financial news, stock quote and chat service last month."
The ranking system appeared to be a new salvo by Yahoo against main rival Google Inc. (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research), which launched a financial news, stock quote and chat service last month."
Consumer Internet Expert Joins Lightspeed Venture Partners: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance
"Lightspeed Venture Partners, a leading provider of seed and early-stage venture capital to technology companies, announced today that Jeremy Liew has joined the firm as a partner focusing on software, Internet services and digital media. Having served on the management teams of America Online, InterActiveCorp, and Citysearch, Jeremy brings proven expertise in driving the success of Internet businesses."
Fighting fraud by baiting phishers | Tech News on ZDNet
"RSA Security's Cyota division is helping fight phishing attacks by giving the online fraudsters what they want: a lot of usernames, passwords, online-banking credentials and credit card numbers. "
PVRblog | TiVo, ReplayTV, and other PVR news and reviews
In 2002, amidst a bulky, advertising-laden digital television experience, programmer Isaac Richards took matters into his own hands -- he began to build his own digital video recorder system from scratch.
Appaloosa Interactive - About
"Since 1983, Appaloosa Interactive (formerly Novotrade International), one of the largest independent edutainment and game software developer has designed and produced award-winning software for the electronic entertainment industry's leading publishers. With well over 100 titles published, including Ecco the Dolphin, Busytown (Richard Scarry), Tiny Tank, Contra: Legacy of War, C: The Contra Adventure, Bugs Bunny's Cartoon Workshop, The Magic School Bus (a space exploration game), Star Trek: Deep Space 9, Three Dirty Dwarves, 101 Dalmatians, Power Rangers: Power Active Words, Power Rangers: Power Active Math and many more. Appaloosa has established itself as a key creative source for the industry."
CNN.com - Clooney fires back at 'Gawker Stalker' - Apr 3, 2006
"George Clooney is known as a prankster, but his plan to undermine a Web site that posts celebrity sightings is no joke, his publicist said Friday.
Clooney has suggested swamping Gawker.com's 'Gawker Stalker' feature with false notes about stars' whereabouts, spokesman Stan Rosenfield said.
In an e-mail Rosenfield recently distributed on Clooney's behalf to other high-powered publicists, the actor calls for publicity firms and their clients to join the effort against the site that some have called a threat to celebrities.
'There is a simple way to render these guys useless,' Clooney said in the message. 'Flood their Web site with bogus sightings. Get your clients to get 10 friends to text in fake sightings of any number of stars.
'A couple hundred conflicting sightings and this Web site is worthless. No need to try to create new laws to restrict free speech. Just make them useless. That's the fun of it. And then sit back and enjoy the ride,' Clooney writes, signing the note, 'Thanks, George.'"
Clooney has suggested swamping Gawker.com's 'Gawker Stalker' feature with false notes about stars' whereabouts, spokesman Stan Rosenfield said.
In an e-mail Rosenfield recently distributed on Clooney's behalf to other high-powered publicists, the actor calls for publicity firms and their clients to join the effort against the site that some have called a threat to celebrities.
'There is a simple way to render these guys useless,' Clooney said in the message. 'Flood their Web site with bogus sightings. Get your clients to get 10 friends to text in fake sightings of any number of stars.
'A couple hundred conflicting sightings and this Web site is worthless. No need to try to create new laws to restrict free speech. Just make them useless. That's the fun of it. And then sit back and enjoy the ride,' Clooney writes, signing the note, 'Thanks, George.'"
Alcatel-Lucent deal may spur rivals to merge or leave | Reuters.com
"Still, he cautioned against overestimating the impact of the merger on the industry's landscape. 'Let's say the competition included 15 vendors. So if the list goes to 14, I don't think it makes that big a difference,' he said. "
WSJ.com - Movie Debut: Films for Sale By Download
"When the hit 'Brokeback Mountain' is released on DVD tomorrow, fans won't have to visit a store to buy the movie. In a first for a major new studio film, broadband Internet users simultaneously will be able to legally purchase and keep an electronic copy using their computers.
The 'Brokeback' online release is the result of a deal that Movielink LLC, a movie-downloading service, has made with five major studios -- General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal Pictures, Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros., Sony Corp.'s Sony Pictures Entertainment, Viacom Inc.'s Paramount and News Corp.'s Twentieth Century Fox. The pact finally allows consumers to download and own a copy of major film releases, both new and catalog titles. In the past, online services like Movielink have only allowed users to rent films downloaded from the Internet, and then only weeks after the movies hit bricks-and-mortar stores. Now, consumers will be able to buy electronic copies the same day the DVD is offered by Best Buy Co. or Wal-Mart Stores Inc."
The 'Brokeback' online release is the result of a deal that Movielink LLC, a movie-downloading service, has made with five major studios -- General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal Pictures, Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros., Sony Corp.'s Sony Pictures Entertainment, Viacom Inc.'s Paramount and News Corp.'s Twentieth Century Fox. The pact finally allows consumers to download and own a copy of major film releases, both new and catalog titles. In the past, online services like Movielink have only allowed users to rent films downloaded from the Internet, and then only weeks after the movies hit bricks-and-mortar stores. Now, consumers will be able to buy electronic copies the same day the DVD is offered by Best Buy Co. or Wal-Mart Stores Inc."
WSJ.com - Start-Up to Tailor Wireless Service for Seniors
"A pioneering husband-and-wife team in the wireless industry, aided by Samsung Electronics Co., has formed a company to offer a simplified cellphone and wireless service for older users.
GreatCall Inc., a San Diego-based start-up led by Arlene Harris and Martin Cooper, plans to target baby boomers and their parents. The service, called Jitterbug, will offer a Samsung-built phone with large buttons, easy-to read text and a cushion that cups around the ear to improve sound quality, Ms. Harris said."
GreatCall Inc., a San Diego-based start-up led by Arlene Harris and Martin Cooper, plans to target baby boomers and their parents. The service, called Jitterbug, will offer a Samsung-built phone with large buttons, easy-to read text and a cushion that cups around the ear to improve sound quality, Ms. Harris said."
WSJ.com - Web-Networking Service Facebook Exploring Partnerships, Buyout
"Facebook Inc., a social-networking service that is popular with college students, has recently talked with some large media and Internet companies about possible partnerships or being acquired by them, people familiar with the matter say.
But the small Internet company and potential acquirers don't seem to agree about its valuation.
Kevin Efrusy, a Facebook investor with venture-capital firm Accel Partners, which put about $12.7 million in the Palo Alto, Calif., Web start-up last year, thinks the company could eventually be valued in the billions of dollars.
'Does [Facebook] have the potential to be worth more than $2 billion, based on economic fundamentals and the value of its audience? Absolutely,' says Mr. Efrusy, who led Accel's investment in the company.
But potential suitors for Facebook don't seem that impressed. After Business Week's Web site last week reported that Facebook hoped to snare as much as $2 billion through a sale of the company, a top News Corp. executive, Ross Levinsohn, told an analyst conference in New York that 'certainly we're not paying $2 billion for Facebook. That makes no sense for us.'"
But the small Internet company and potential acquirers don't seem to agree about its valuation.
Kevin Efrusy, a Facebook investor with venture-capital firm Accel Partners, which put about $12.7 million in the Palo Alto, Calif., Web start-up last year, thinks the company could eventually be valued in the billions of dollars.
'Does [Facebook] have the potential to be worth more than $2 billion, based on economic fundamentals and the value of its audience? Absolutely,' says Mr. Efrusy, who led Accel's investment in the company.
But potential suitors for Facebook don't seem that impressed. After Business Week's Web site last week reported that Facebook hoped to snare as much as $2 billion through a sale of the company, a top News Corp. executive, Ross Levinsohn, told an analyst conference in New York that 'certainly we're not paying $2 billion for Facebook. That makes no sense for us.'"
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