Want to teach someone to code? Codecademy’s got an app for that

Codecademy, the white-hot startup that teaches even total novices how to code, has launched a new tool: Creators lets anyone create a course on Codecademy and teach technology to over a million budding developers.

“We’re going from being a content company (creating courses) to becoming a platform for others to create courses,” said Codecademy co-founder Zach Sims in an email to VentureBeat.

“This is probably the biggest announcement we’ve made yet.”

Codecademy started out offering … Continue Reading

Meet Y Combinator’s newest partner, Geoff Ralston

The newest member of Y Combinator’s team is angel investor and successful entrepreneur Geoff Ralston.

Y Combinator founder Paul Graham announced the addition of Ralston in a blog post yesterday, writing that Ralston is “a perfect match for YC because he’s smart and energetic, and yet informal and a super nice guy.”

Graham told VentureBeat via email that Ralston will be a full partner in Y Combinator, but will continue to be a partner in … Continue Reading

Addmired launches social mobile iMob 2 game with cool chat features (exclusive)

Mob games aren’t really fun unless you can disrespect your foes. That’s the idea behind iMob 2, the latest mobile social game from startup Addmired, which has had a string of hits.

The new iOS game (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad) has a new feature in real-time online chat, where users can talk with other players and strategize attacks into the mob-themed game.

Palo Alto, Calif.-based Addmired has more than 37 million downloads of its games, … Continue Reading

Grubwithus debuts iPhone app to book meals on-the-go

Grubwithus, the social-dining startup that helps people meet over meals in real-life, has launched an official iPhone app. The free mobile app is a promising step toward a future service that allows people to spontaneously book meals amongst themselves anytime, anywhere.

The service is already known for its “in-real-life” approach to social networking, bringing strangers together for prix fixe meals that are negotiated with partner restaurants beforehand. The social goals are very open-ended: people use … Continue Reading

How to get a programming job at a startup (infographic)

We have only a few days before the new year ball drops and 2012 is upon us. Many will hope for good health, good fortune and good friends, but in this economy, even more may hope for jobs.

If you’re a programmer, here’s an infographic of tips to help you get that job you’re looking for.

Silicon Valley has a number of resources for programmers looking to stretch their digital fingers into the startup world. … Continue Reading

Paul Graham: SOPA supporters are no longer welcome at Y Combinator events

Paul Graham has put the kibosh on SOPA-supporting companies showing up at Y Combinator events, including the popular and investment-driven Demo Days.

Graham founded Y Combinator, an incubator and accelerator program that attracts some of the brightest minds and most interesting startups around the world. A Graham-imposed ban means the exiled parties might not have the best chance get in on early investment rounds — or acquisition deals when companies (and founders) are young enough … Continue Reading

Former MySpace CEO creates startup incubator called Science, invests in former MySpace execs

Former MySpace chief executive Mike Jones announced a new incubator he calls Science today, which he describes as a technology studio for startups looking to grow in Los Angeles. But is Jones giving past MySpace executives a first pass at the money?

“I think science speaks to the theory we’re going after,” said Jones (pictured right) in an interview with VentureBeat. “Scaling these businesses is much more a science than an art.”

Science is aiming … Continue Reading

Codecademy raises $2.5M to make you a coding master

There’s something about Codecademy that made investors plunk down $2.5 million dollars today to help the Y Combinator startup teach more people to code online. Codecademy uses game mechanics to make JavaScript instruction fun and engaging for people who use its simple, clean online interface.

The money is going to be used to hire new team members, according to co-founder Zack Sims, who  told VentureBeat the company is going to be looking for coders and … Continue Reading

Meg Whitman joins Zaarly’s board, company gets $14M from Kleiner Perkins

Mobile marketplace Zaarly announced today that Hewlett-Packard chief executive Meg Whitman is joining its board of directors, and that it’s getting a $14 million investment led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers.

“I just love her,” said Bo Fishback (pictured left), co-founder and chief executive of Zaarly, in an interview with VentureBeat. “She built the biggest peer-to-peer marketplace on the planet Earth … I just know she’s going to make me a better CEO.”

Meg … Continue Reading

Andreessen-Horowitz to give $50K to all Y Combinator startups through Start Fund

Venture capital firm Andreessen-Horowitz announced today that it is participating in startup incubator Y Combinator‘s Start Fund, alongside venture capitalists Ron Conway and Yuri Milner.

“We’ve been working with Paul [Graham, founder of Y Combinator] for awhile and we’ve just been really impressed,” said Margit Wennmachers, partner at Andreessen-Horowitz in an interview with VentureBeat. “So when we had a chance to join the program we said ‘absolutely.’”

The Start Fund awards $150,000 to each startup … Continue Reading

Google acquires social analytics startup SocialGrapple

Google has acquired Twitter statistics startup SocialGrapple, a move suggesting the search titan is looking to boost its Google+ analytics tracking abilities.

Exact terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Google launched Google+ a few months ago, and while the new social network has attracted a fair amount of headlines, it still has a long way to go to catch up to Facebook and Twitter in size. One way the company will help Google+ grow … Continue Reading

Y Combinator-backed 1000memories launches Shoeboxes, says revenue in sight

1000memories, an online memory-sharing site, is well on its way to finding revenue after launching a new content-sharing feature today called Shoeboxes.

1000memories, which got its start in life at startup incubator Y Combinator, creates landing pages for individuals. Anyone can jump to a page and write a few words or post a picture or song. The result is a collage of photos, music and thoughts that’s supposed to capture the essence of that person. … Continue Reading

Stypi founders have a plan to reinvent Google Wave (video)

Google Wave was a colossal flop. So why are the founders of Stypi trying to revive the idea of Wave-style collaborative software?

We caught up with the Stypi team at VentureBeat’s San Francisco office and asked them exactly that. This Y Combinator-backed startup is revisiting the concept of cloud-based, collaborative work. It enables multiple people to work on the same document together in real time by sharing a link amongst themselves.

This is familiar ground … Continue Reading

Ad innovation takes the stage at Y Combinator event (video)

A few lucky people got a peek at the future of online advertising recently, thanks to a Y Combinator event.

Close to 200 entrepreneurs, marketers, publishers, and venture capitalists packed Y Combinator headquarters in Mountain View on Sept. 14 for the startup incubator’s first ever Ad Innovation Conference. The two-hour event was open to the public and designed to showcase companies developing ad-related technologies.

What with Demo, TechCrunch, Intel Developer Forum and Microsoft Build last … Continue Reading

Train on: flight search startup Hipmunk now sports Amtrak train routes

Flight and hotel search startup Hipmunk today announced it is adding routes from Amtrak to its travel search site.

The train results now appear in-line with flights whenever users search for a travel route. The results only show up when Amtrak provides service between the two cities the user is searching, and train schedules will live and die by the site’s “agony” metric, which includes metrics on delays, travel time and number of connections, a … Continue Reading

Codecademy is web development education for the rest of us

Web development and basic coding skills shouldn’t be the mysterious domain of a handful of overpaid engineers, and if the Codecademy founders have anything to say about it, the boundaries of that domain will soon be rapidly expanding.

This small group of young hackers entered the most recent class of Y Combinator startups and built a company that aims to teach anyone how to code.

Their interface is simple and even fun to use. Their … Continue Reading

A look at life inside Y Combinator from a two-time alumnus (video)

Y Combinator‘s Demo Days this year featured a crush of innovation and excitement. After 63 startups presented to a room full of reporters, VCs and other influencers, we were all exhausted — none more than the belles of this particular ball, the founders themselves.

So we gave the bright young men of Parse a day to recuperate before we asked them to drop into the VentureBeat studio in downtown San Francisco to talk about their … Continue Reading

Zendesk opens new Denmark office, teams up with startup incubators

Customer help desk management provider Zendesk today announced that it is opening a new office in Denmark and is teaming up with nearly a dozen startup incubators around the world to give its customer support software.

The company is working with the likes of Y Combinator and Seedcamp to give those attending startups its software for free for a year. Zendesk operates a Web-based help desk service that lets companies track customer complaints across most … Continue Reading

ZigFu gives developers a way to make motion-controlled apps in minutes

ZigFu is letting developers race “from zero to working motion apps in a couple minutes,” the company’s co-founder Amir Hirsch told VentureBeat.

This startup is from the most recent batch of Y Combinator companies, and it’s all about making gestural interfaces faster and easier to create.

For developers, the company provides bindings to the Unity3D game engine, and it also gives developers a handful of sample apps to start their own work.

“We haven’t released … Continue Reading

Launchpad Toys aims to be a “Creative Suite for kids”

When you and I were kids, we played with (and learned from) toys like Lego and handmade puppets. These days, kids are turning to digital gadgets like the iPad.

Launchpad Toys wants to create a suite of creative play tools to reach kids on those devices: touchable, fun games that help kids learn to use digital platforms to accomplish digital tasks.

In a presentation at Y Combinator’s Demo Days today in Silicon Valley, we talked … Continue Reading