Skyrider investment suggests advertising on P2P might not be so easy, after all
It’s been over a year since we covered Skyrider, and for good reason: We hadn’t heard anything more since the company revealed its business plan, based around monetizing peer-to-peer networks with ads, in late 2006.
In the space of about three months, we’d reported that Skyrider… Continue Reading
Velocity’s saga reveals the art of ripping up a VC partnership
Controversy has swirled around digital media-focused venture capital firm Velocity Interactive Group from its beginnings last year. Now, more details about the Silicon Valley-Los Angeles firm’s saga are being reported by PEHub.
The tale of Velocity shows how unnerving change is hitting the digital media investing… Continue Reading
Kotura raises $10M for silicon photonics
Silicon photonics product maker Kotura has raised $10 million in a third round of funding.
New investor Rockley Ventures led the round. Rockley is the private technology investment portfolio of Dr. Andrew Rickman, who is also the new chairman of Kotura’s board of directors. ComVentures, GF… Continue Reading
Pano Logic receives $12M to replace the desktop computer
Pano Logic makes a piece of hardware that allows several people to use a single computer as if each were on their own, private desktop, a strategy called “virtualization” that turned VMWare into a giant in the server market.
The strategy cuts down on the total… Continue Reading
Ad Infuse takes on $12M more, builds market share in mobile advertising
This may well be the year that the leaders in the mobile advertising space emerge, and startup Ad Infuse has taken on another $12 million to try to ensure its place at the table.
As we reported in an October story, Ad Infuse is distinguished by… Continue Reading
Levinsohn to team up with ComVentures on media investments?
updated
We’re hearing Ross Levinsohn, the former News Corp. dealmaker considered responsible for the decision by that company to acquire MySpace in its relatively early days, may team up with ComVentures, a somewhat controversial Silicon Valley venture capital firm, to help invest in early stage investments.
Levinsohn… Continue Reading
CloudShield, an IP services control and security co., raises $15M
CloudShield Technologies, a Sunnyvale provider of IP services control and security technology, said it has raised a $15 million financing round led by Tektronix, a publicly traded communications network management company.
Existing investors ComVentures, TPG Growth, Foundation Capital and Paladin Capital also participated in the funding.
CloudShield… Continue Reading
Doppelganger launches its musical virtual world, vSide
Doppelganger, a virtual world site, has just expanded its offering aimed at teenagers and young adults– with an emphasis on music, dance, and chilling out at bars.
The new site, called vSide, finds itself competing against a number of other virtual worlds, from Second Life, IMVU… Continue Reading
OnStor & the resurrection of the storage companies
OnStor, a Campbell, Calif. company offering data storage for large companies, is the latest hoping to exploit a turn in fortunes in this once-dead sector. It has just gotten $27 million in more funding from venture capitalists who now have pumped $105 million into the… Continue Reading
Zantaz’s $375M payday, and its unfortunate back-story
Zantaz, an email archiving software firm, saw a $375 million happy ending this week, when it was purchased by Autonomy, a company that gives major companies a search engine for their Web sites. The details are here.
However, Zantaz, of Pleasanton, Calif. has one of those… Continue Reading
OpSource raises $15M for online software services, boasts potential IPO
OpSource, a Santa Clara, Calif. provider of application management and hosting services for online software companies, has raised a $15 million in a fourth round of financing.
The round was led by new investor Crosslink Capital, of San Francisco, with participation from existing investor Artiman Ventures,… Continue Reading
Fabrik raises $24.9M more for file storage and sharing
Fabrik, a company that offer online storage and easy sharing of big files, has just closed a $24.9 million deal and added Ross Levinsohn, former President of Fox Interactive Media, to the board.
Its financing came primarily from 3i, with a small chunk from ComVentures.
As noted… Continue Reading
OpVista raises $15M more for optical data transport
OpVista, a Milpitas, Calif. company that lets cable providers boost the transmission of data over optical networks, has raised $15 million more in financing.
This is a bubble-era company. It launched in 2000, and suffered amid the downturn in the telecommunications market in late 2000. It… Continue Reading
Sonopia, the private mobile phone network provider, raises $12.7M more
Sonopia, the company that lets anyone create their own mobile phone network, has raised $12.7 million more in a second round of funding, led by Cardinal Venture Capital.
We wrote about the Menlo Park, Calif company here, which it publicly launched its service last month. While… Continue Reading
MDV throws down gauntlet for venture firm Web sites
Silicon Valley venture capital firms want to invest in the world’s most innovative technology companies, but you wouldn’t know it from looking at their stultifying Web sites.
Venture capital firm Web sites remain surprisingly similar, static and unimaginative.
Why are these VC firms such fossils? Flash technology,… Continue Reading
Vyatta, the open-source networking co., raises $11M more
Vyatta, a San Mateo, Ca. company that sells open-source networking products including routers, firewalls and virtual private networks, has raised $11 million more in a second round of financing.
The round was led by Comcast Interactive Capital, the company said in a statement.
Also participating in the… Continue Reading
Sequoia Capital vs. ComVentures
Updated
Sequoia Capital, the high-profile venture capital firm sued another firm, ComVentures, for ripping off aspects of its Web site design.
The two sides apparently have resolved the fight, although the settlement hasn’t shown up yet in online records.
This is one of the silliest squabbles we’ve seen… Continue Reading
Spectra Linear raises $14M for computer timing devices
Spectra Linear, a Santa Clara start-up that builds the internal timing devices for computers, said it has raised $14 million in a second round of financing.
The round was led by new investor ComVentures and included existing backers Norwest Venture Partners and Interwest Partners.
Last… Continue Reading
YouSendIt and MyFabrik add to file-sharing options
YouSendIt and MyFabrik are two of the many companies that let you easily share large files, such as videos or photos. They’ve raised venture capital recently, to help them survive the throng of competitors.
Have you ever had an outgoing or incoming email bounce because you… Continue Reading
MonoSphere raises $11M for storage capacity planning software
MonoSphere, a Redwood City start-up that gives companies software to manage their storage capacity needs, has raised $11 million in a second round of funding.
Intel Capital led the deal, and was joined by existing backers ComVentures and Lightspeed Venture Partners.
This company overhauled its… Continue Reading