Sunday, October 31, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Mashable: Facebook to Raise Series E Funding with Apple as Investor [RUMOR]
"Is Mark Zuckerberg about to friend Steve Jobs? Facebook may be preparing to raise a blockbuster multi-million dollar Series E funding round with existing investors and potentially a new one:Apple Inc.
According to our tipster, the world’s largest social network will raise a new round of funding in the next few months to fuel its growth and bridge the gap between now and its eventual IPO. The potential amount of the Series E round wasn’t revealed. Facebook has already raised four rounds of funding along with an angel round in its six years of existence, amounting to over half a billion dollars...."
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Huffpo: Conversation With Tom Perkins, The Godfather Of Venture Capital
"One can't help but wonder at the tales of a man who once wandered the halls of MIT pondering circuit design, only to now claim personal responsibility for converting the orchards of Silicon Valley into parking lots -- back at a time, no less, "when Silicon Valley wasn't even called Silicon Valley." This man isTom Perkins, who founded Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, one of the most venerable and successfulventure capital firms in history.
Go to the KPCB homepage and you'll see a front-and-center summon: "In Search of the Next Big Idea." Well, Tom Perkins has many to his name. Starting KPCB with Eugene Kleiner, he planned to raise a $10 million fund, but managed only $8 million -- there was much skepticism back then that venture capital could be a business. He disagreed, "If it isn't high risk, then everyone will be doing it and it will be too late." Fast forward to today and KPCB portfolio companies include such giants as Google and Amazon, employ over 250,000 people and generate many billions in annual revenue."
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Gearlog: MIT makes Paper-Thin Solar Cells
"The mega-brains at MIT have developed paper-thin solar cells--the future of solar power. These tiny solar cells are deposited onto simple tracing paper in five layers, using inexpensive, abundant, organic materials.
When laminated, the cells are flexible and could easily be attached to roofs, function as window blinds, or used indoors. With cells this thin, the possibilities for application are nearly limitless.
Eni, an Italian oil company, is funding this research and development to produce cheaper solar power and new techniques for cleaning up oil spills. Although the efficiency of the solar cells is currently one percent, which is enough to power one small LED light, this new technology will only continue to develop and improve, and a commercial product could be available in, as little as, five years. "
eetimes: IBM,Solar Frontier team up in PV
Solar Frontier Inc. has signed an agreement to jointly develop thin-film solar cell technology with IBM based on the elements copper, zinc, tin, sulfur, and selenium (CZTS).
IBM and Solar Frontier will collaborate to expand upon IBM’s technology in this area. In February of 2010, IBM announced record results of 9.6 percent efficient solar cells using CZTS material.
The research for this joint development program will mainly take place at IBM’s Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, N.Y. Like Solar Frontier, DelSolar Co. Ltd has also recently partnered with IBM in developing this technology.
IBM and Solar Frontier will collaborate to expand upon IBM’s technology in this area. In February of 2010, IBM announced record results of 9.6 percent efficient solar cells using CZTS material.
The research for this joint development program will mainly take place at IBM’s Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, N.Y. Like Solar Frontier, DelSolar Co. Ltd has also recently partnered with IBM in developing this technology.
Evernote raises a $20 million Series C investment from Sequoia
Press Release
Investment will be used for ambitious product development and expansion into new markets
Mountain View, Calif.—October 19, 2010—Evernote, the service designed to help the world remember everything, today announced a $20 million Series C investment round led by new investor Sequoia Capital. Existing shareholders, including Morgenthaler Ventures, DOCOMO Capital and Troika Dialog will also participate. Evernote will use the new funds for rapid product development and expansion into new market segments. Roelof Botha, Partner at Sequoia Capital, will join the Evernote Board of Directors as an observer.
Evernote has grown to more than 4.7 million users worldwide in less than two and a half years by allowing individuals to easily save and find their ideas, things they see and things they like. The award-winning service gives its users the choice of thirteen different desktop, mobile and browser options for capturing their memories. From meeting notes to shopping lists to webpages to wine labels, everything a person wishes to remember can be saved in Evernote.
"This is an amazing time in Evernote's short history. We're building great products, growing faster than ever and are solidly on the path to profitability. Having Roelof Botha and the Sequoia Capital team on our side will help Evernote capitalize on this momentum," said Phil Libin, CEO of Evernote. "Our growing revenue and strong financial footing coming into this round allow us to put this money towards an ambitious growth plan. Evernote users can expect more of everything they love, all while we explore new markets and new opportunities."
"Evernote's success shows that there is a major market demand for products that help us make sense of our over-saturated lives, said Roelof Botha, partner at Sequoia Capital. In a very short time, Evernote has changed the way users interact with all of their devices, and the way they keep what's important to them close at hand. With nearly 5 million users, they have also proven the viability of a freemium business model. We're excited to be a partner in the company's continued ascent.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Spark Capital Raises $360M Fund
From the Spark website:
It takes guts to invest in early stage companies. They are risky and require lots of energy. We are not afraid of the risk. Nor are we afraid to put in the effort required to help our companies win and win big. We have no problem with risk as long as the potential return is giant.
Focus on the Conflux
At Spark, we are focused on convergence and disruption — they generate each other. We like convergence because this is where major opportunities arise. The status quo breaks down and the traditional market leaders are vulnerable. We like to invest in the disrupters. These are the companies led by the entrepreneurs who see the cracks in the markets and the weaknesses of the incumbents. We have a name for the convergence and the opportunity created by the accompanying disruption. We call it the Conflux. This is where we hang out and this is where we find the very best entrepreneurs seeking the most outrageous market opportunities.
We invest in companies whose opportunities exist in our sweet spot. Companies ready to meet the rapid transformation of media and content, companies that are driven by innovative technologies and evolving business models.
We also use our expertise and insight gained in this molten core of innovation to pursue companies whose potential lies outside. Here our perspective and experience are just as vital. They are what give us the ability to make the connects and establish the synergies.
This sweet spot is not something we stumbled upon; we came up in this confluence. We have been instrumental in the development of new markets and market leaders. It is the natural home of the impassioned entrepreneur, the frontier, the place of the most promise. Therefore it is the natural home for Spark. It is the core of our strength, from which we make every investment decision.
SPOT ON
The makeup of the Spark team and our attitude toward risk and opportunity make us uniquely qualified to exploit the opportunities presented by this intersection. In our hallways you will find former entrepreneurs, experienced investors and industry executives with experience in the development, production and distribution of entertainment, media and technology. Akamai Technologies, Qtera, Aether Systems, Novatel Wireless, Twitter, 5Min, AdMeld, Verivue, Tumblr are just a few of the companies backed by the Spark team.
As a firm we are stage-agnostic; no idea is too green for us. We look for experienced entrepreneurs who combine revolutionary ideas with a vision for how their products will change or create markets with potential for explosive growth.
The key to our many successes is our desire to take an active role in the companies we back, most often taking a seat on the board of directors, and working to ensure that the vision of the entrepreneur reaches its fullest potential.
Transforming groundbreaking ideas into market-leading companies is our passion. We have the vision, knowledge, relationships and creativity to give our partner companies the advantage they need to win.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Cisco Umi - home telepresense, $599
Kara Swisher checks out Cisco's new consumer telepresence product, umi.
Pre-order here. Shipping beginning 11/15/10.
Cisco ūmi brings family and friends into your living room with your HD television.
Features:
Full HD 1080p video calling and 720p recording using your existing HD television and broadband internet connection
Motorized pan, tilt, and zoom
Create and share your own umi videos on Facebook™, YouTube™, or email
Place and receive video calls from any computer with a webcam and Google video chat
Cisco umi Key Features and Benefits
-- Users enjoy amazingly clear and lifelike full HD experience.
-- An existing HD television and a broadband Internet connection are all
that is needed.
-- Cisco umi is easy to set up and simple to use -- users can be together
at the touch of a button.
-- Video calls can be placed and received on any computer with a webcam
and Google video chat.
-- Users will never miss a umi call with video messages.
-- Cisco umi videos can be created and then shared on Facebook, YouTube,
or email.
-- Video messages can be checked on-the-go with a laptop.
-- New video message notices arrive via text on a mobile phone.
-- From the comfort of the couch, users can pan the room and even zoom in
to get up close and personal, or pull back to include the whole
family.
-- Privacy features like call screening and blocking, and a camera
shutter that closes, keep users in control of their privacy.
-- Personalize with a unique video greeting, ringtones, and calling
favorites.
-- The stylish design is a perfect match for the living room and HD
television.
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Foundry Group raises $225m second venture fund
According to their blog:
Foundry Group Blog
Nov92008
Of all the questions that we get, this one is the most common: “What do you guys like to invest in?”
Unlike many venture capital firms that invest in certain geographic regions or specific technologies and sectors, Foundry Group’s investing activity is largely driven by a thematic approach. The themes we pursue tend to be horizontal in nature and are often driven by underlying technology protocols and standards or emerging market trends and customer needs. Rather than looking for short-term hits, we focus on themes that have the ability to drive a cycle of innovation (and hence provide multiple investment opportunities) over a period of five to ten years or more. We invest across North America in a multitude of sectors tied to our thematic approach.
Examples of the investment themes we are currently pursuing include Human Computer Interaction,Implicit Web, Email, Glue, and Digital Life. As one might expect, we are always in the process of evaluating our current themes and investigating new ones, but you can always get our latest and greatest thinking from checking out our themes link. One thing that you’ll notice is that our themes revolve around software and information technology.
You can get a sense of how our thematic approach translates into specific investments through ourPortfolio Companies blog category and our list of current portfolio investments.
All of this being said, we don’t strictly limit our investment criteria to our themes—great entrepreneurs with great ideas still count for a lot in our book. In fact, our thinking about these themes can be born from and evolve as a result of our investment in an entrepreneur at the leading edge.
If you are thinking of sending us information regarding your venture, please know that we like to stick to investments that can leverage our core expertise in software, Internet and information technology. As a result, investment opportunities that don’t play to these strengths, such as pharmaceuticals, medical devices, semiconductors, real estate, retail and biotech aren’t good candidates for us.
google blog: "Google TV is here"
(Posted from the Google TV Blog)
Sneak peek of some of Google TV apps in the video:
"Since our announcement, we’ve been overwhelmed by interest from partners on how they can use the Google TV platform to personalize, monetize and distribute their content in new ways. Most of these partner sites already work with Google TV, but many are choosing to further enhance their premium web content for viewing on the television. Today, we’re excited to announce several of these content partners.
Turner Broadcasting has been hard at work optimizing some of their most popular websites for viewing on Google TV, including TBS, TNT, CNN, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, available anytime through Google TV.
NBC Universal has collaborated with Google TV to bring CNBC Real-Time, an application that allows you to track your favorite stocks and access news feeds while enjoying the best financial news from CNBC directly on the TV screen.
HBO will bring access to hundreds of hours of programming to Google TV with HBO GO. Authenticated subscribers will soon be able to access all of their favorite HBO content on-demand in an enhanced website for Google TV.
NBA has built NBA Game Time, an application that lets you follow game scores in real-time and catch up on the latest highlights from your favorite team in HD.
In addition, we’ve partnered with some of the leading premium content providers to bring thousands of movie and TV titles, on-demand, directly to your television. Amazon Video On Demand offers access to over 75,000 titles for rental or purchase, and Netflix will offer the ability to instantly watch unlimited movies and TV shows, anytime, streaming directly to the TV.
We have also been working with some leading technology and media companies to optimize their content for Google TV, including news sites like The New York Times and USA Today; music sites like VEVO, Pandora and Napster; information networks like Twitter; and online networks like blip.tv. And with YouTube Leanback, we can offer the best experience for you to watch your favorite viral videos and personalized channels on the television."
Official google TV blog here:
CNN - Are all the good tech-company names taken?
Bebo, Etsy and Kijiji sound more like baby's first words than the names of tech companies.
But tech companies they are -- a social-networking site, an online crafts store and another name for eBay classified ads, respectively. They're also examples of how simpler, more descriptive names are harder for tech startups to come by these days, says Brannon Cashion, president of brand consulting firm Addison Whitney.
"For a company to find a name that is a common word is very, very challenging in today's environment," Cashion says. "No one is naming a company Apple anymore. Those days are really long gone."
- Simple or descriptive company names are less common in today's internet world
- With fewer domain names remaining, it makes it difficult for companies to choose monikers
- Made-up names allow a company to come up with its own definition of the word
- Natalie Avon
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