Microsoft social app co. Wallop rebrands as Coveroo

Wallop, the social app startup that broke out of Microsoft in 2006, has changed its name to Coveroo and plans to refocus its efforts on mobile phone accessories. Its first order of business was to buy laser-engraving firm Etchstar, which specializes in customizing laptops and… Continue Reading

Web 2.0 shakeout continued: What’s up at Insider Pages, Backfence, Meebo, others?

Web 2.0 shakeout continued: What’s up at Insider Pages, Backfence, Meebo, others?

(Updated, rumor that Backfence is shutting down is wrong, see fresh post here)

Roelof Botha is one of the hotter venture capitalists these days. The Sequoia Capital venture capitalist led that firm’s investment into video-sharing site YouTube — and saw that company sold within a year… Continue Reading

Roundup: All Hail Google, WiFi in cars, Wallop walloped, Ahnold’s funding

Roundup: All Hail Google, WiFi in cars, Wallop walloped, Ahnold’s funding

Round-up of the latest action in Silicon Valley:

It’s all about Google — Notable post by Rich Skrenta about how Google is becoming ever more important. Having become the “start page” for the Web, Google makes $90 to $120 for every thousand times its pages get viewed… Continue Reading

Social networking site Wallop raises $10M

Wallop, the San Francisco social networking startup that was spun out of Microsoft Research Labs earlier this year, has raised $10 million in venture capital with an ambitious plan to become the latest cool social networking company.

Wallop says here that its features set it apart,… Continue Reading