Elevator pitch company Vator.tv adds micro-blogging
Vator.tv, the site best-known for allowing entrepreneurs to record “elevator pitch” videos, has been testing a new way for entrepreneurs to promote their companies — a micro-blogging news feed.
I’m not sure if this feature adds much to services that are already out there. After all, any company can publish its own blog; if it wants to send out shorter updates it can sign up for an account on micro-blogging site Twitter. Vator’s “Company Updates” feed… Continue Reading
Twitter CEO Dorsey sees embeds, mobile in Twitter’s future
Despite the occasional late night hiccup, micro-messaging service Twitter has been largely stable for the past few weeks. It’s been refreshing to have the service working, some would say downright boring (as indicated by the calls for the Fail Whale) — so what’s next?
I’ve argued that it should be a serious move into the mobile sphere, while others are clamoring for monetization. Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey sat down with Vator.tv’s Bambi Francisco to talk… Continue Reading
Watch out folks, CBS Interactive is hungry for more
Vator.tv’s Bambi Francisco interviewed CBS Interactive mergers and acquisitions head Mike Marquez following the company’s $1.8 billion purchase of CNET. Marquez notes that this deal will open up the door to even more acquisitions as the company looks to expand its interactive empire.
So what is CBS looking at? Anything in the video, mobile and local space, according to Marquez. In fact, it didn’t sound like there was anything he didn’t like and wouldn’t look at. CBS… Continue Reading
Widget mashup service Mixmonsta wins Vator.tv/Demand Media competition
Widget mashup site Mixmonsta has won a startup competition organized by startup pitch site Vator.tv and well-funded domain purchaser Demand Media, with participation from blogs including VentureBeat.
Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania-based Mixmonsta lets users mash together songs, videos and other images from their computers and phones within its flash-widget interface. Then, users can send the mashup clips to friends by email or by phone (see sample, below). It has been showing some decent traction, with more than… Continue Reading
Elevator pitch site Vator.tv raises round
Enterpreneur pitch site Vator.tv has raised another $1 million in funding, Beet.tv is reporting. Entrepreneurs upload videos of themselves to be seen by investors and entrepreneurs, or do interviews with the staff of Vator.tv.
Here’s Beet’s interview with John Shinal, a former reporter who’s managing editor of Vator.
The San Francisco company makes money from advertising, where it says its audience brings in high CPMs (ad impressions), and from sponsorships. The company previously raised $1 million. Our… Continue Reading
Vator.tv hosts contests for entrepreneurs in clean tech, wine
Vator.tv, a company that lets entrepreneurs upload videotaped pitches to potential investors, is doling out cash prices to winners of pitch competitions.
Over the next few months, selected winners can net anything from an Xbox or an iPhone to over $10,000 — it depends on the contest — and a chance to present their ideas in person to an audience of investors.
You qualify if you’re in one of the following sectors: gaming, clean tech, Office 2.0,… Continue Reading
Vator.TV launches, lets you pitch your business
Vator.TV, the video site started by Bambi Francisco, the former MarketWatch columnist, officially launches tomorrow.
It is designed for people to share ideas about their companies, to investors and others. From the main page, you can select “My Vator” to create a pitch and manage your profile. Outsiders can use a search bar to find pitches. There is also a text news section and a place where pitching competitions are listed.
While the site has been up… Continue Reading
Bambi’s Vator.TV, a pitch platform for entrepreneurs, raises round
Bambi Francisco, the former MarketWatch columnist who left last month amid a stir to form her own video company, has finished raising a round of capital.
The round includes Richard Rosenblatt, the former chief executive of Intermix, owner of MySpace, Georges Harick, a former Google engineer who helped develop Adsense, and Matthew Hill, early investor of Shopping.com and, as expected Peter Thiel, former chief executive of PayPal. She is keeping the amount confidential, but we expect… Continue Reading
Bambi Francisco, the star reporter, and her conflicts
The WSJ and Zdnet have published oddly incomplete stories about Bambi Francisco, a reporter at Marketwatch, who they say “invested” in a side company called Vator.tv.
They suggest scandal, because she reported at Marketwatch about people who also invested in Vator.
Bambi’s employers requested that she not to talk with reporters about this, but we’ve talked with Bambi over the past few months, so know what she’s been up to. Fact is, Vator is Bambi. This was… Continue Reading