Scribd to sell 5,000 e-books from Simon & Schuster
Scribd, the site that lets users upload, share and embed documents, first launched its e-books store back in May as a potential competitor to Amazon. Now it has inched closer to its goal with a deal to sell 5,000 titles from major publishing house Simon… Continue Reading
Kazeon captures $10M for advanced search and discovery
Kazeon Systems, a company that specializes in software used for electronic investigations and discovery of buried network information, just brought in $10 million in sixth-round funding from JK&B Capital, Clearstone Venture Partners, Menlo Ventures and Redpoint Ventures, reports peHub. Based in Mountain View, Calif., the… Continue Reading
Schooner joins the flash memory battle
A startup called Schooner Information Technology emerged from stealth mode today with the announcement of two new products featuring smaller, cheaper, faster servers built using flash memory chips. The Menlo Park, Calif. startup has also raised $15 million in a first round of venture funding,… Continue Reading
Obopay scores $70M from Nokia for mobile payments
Obopay, provider of a mobile service that lets people transfer money to one another through text messages, just received an investment from Nokia, estimated at $70 million. [Update: It turns out that not all of this money came from Nokia, as most people reported. There… Continue Reading
Confirmed: Zimbra co-founder Dharmaraj to become a VC at Redpoint
Updated with Dharmaraj’s confirmation
Satish Dharmaraj, the co-founder of Yahoo-acquired email company Zimbra, will become a partner at Redpoint Ventures, according to Kara Swisher at BoomTown.
Dharmaraj joined Yahoo in 2007 after selling Zimbra to the ailing Internet giant for $350 million. He left in… Continue Reading
Auditude raises more money to match and monetize copyrighted online video
Back in November, Auditude signed a big deal with MTV Networks to monetize premium content uploaded to MySpace. It would appear that it’s working, as the company has just received a $10.5 million second round of funding to expand its reach.
Much like Google’s “Content… Continue Reading
Networks in Motion acquires TrafficGauge for location-based traffic software
Networks in Motion, creator of location-based applications for mobile phones, announced that it’s purchased real-time traffic map provider TrafficGauge for an undisclosed sum. The Irvine, Calif. company plans to use TrafficGauge’s technology to develop better navigation tools for cell phones, including software that could make… Continue Reading
Roundup: Google improves mobile spreadsheets, pirates plunder the App Store and more
Here’s the latest action:
Google improves mobile access to spreadsheets — Now, instead of just viewing Google Docs spreadsheets on your phone, you can add, edit, sort, and filter.
Pirates run rampant in Apple’s App Store — This article profiles Imagenuity New Media, which released… Continue Reading
SocialVibe raises $8M to turn online profiles into charity money makers
SocialVibe is a Los Angeles-based company that lets social network users raise money for their favorite causes by posting badges that advertise certain brands to their online profiles. It just brought in $8 million in second-round funding to forge more partnerships with advertisers and nonprofits… Continue Reading
Intermolecular lands $20M to improve semiconductor manufacture
San Jose, Calif.-based Intermolecular, a company that streamlines the manufacture of semiconductor components, has raised $20 million of an expected $30 million fourth round of funding from CMEA Ventures, Redpoint Ventures, Symyx Technologies and US Venture Partners.
The company recently announced a collaboration with chipmaker… Continue Reading
Solar co. Solyndra shines with $220M
Solar installation maker Solyndra has every reason to celebrate the new year, raising $219.2 million in fifth-round funding from a flock of 23 investors. This is the second largest investment received by any U.S. cleantech company in the last year, coming in behind the $300… Continue Reading
Virtual world maker Gaia cuts staff by 13 percent
Gaia Interactive, a San Jose, Calif. creator of virtual world software, has laid off 13 percent of its employees (16 full-time and 20 contractors) due to unfavorable market conditions. The cuts follow an $11 million third round of funding the company announced in July.
It’s… Continue Reading
Scribd raises $9 million, hires new president for social publishing
Social publishing firm Scribd is announcing today that it has raised $9 million in a second round of funding and has hired George Consagra, former chief operating officer of Bebo, as its president.
The San Francisco-based company lets people share and publish original writings on… Continue Reading
BlueKai raises $10.5M to help sell consumer data
BlueKai, which runs a marketplace where advertisers can buy data about online shoppers, has raised $10.5 million in a second round of funding.
The Bellevue, Wash. startup allows shopping sites that have collected data about your interests and activities to sell that information to advertisers…. Continue Reading
Music blog network Buzznet lays off 10
Buzznet, a social network of music and celebrity-related blogs, cut its staff by 10 to refocus efforts on its more popular products in the poor economy. For this reason, the Los Angeles-based company actually has plans to increase headcount in sales, editorial and engineering divisions,… Continue Reading
WebVisible buys Adapt for search marketing management tools
Ad management software provider WebVisible announced yesterday that it bought Adapt Technologies, a company that makes applications used to automate search marketing campaigns. The amount of the deal has not been disclosed. Both companies serve their technology to mid-size companies looking to bring in revenue… Continue Reading
Wireless network provider WiChorus may end funding at $18M
WiChorus, a provider of wireless network hardware and software, may be calling it quits on VC backing following an $18 million third-round of funding, reports VentureWire. Raised to cushion the downturn, the new financing exceeded the round’s goals, and will be used to grow the… Continue Reading
Envia raises $3.2M for lithium ion batteries
Envia Systems, a company that provides energy storage services via lithium ion batteries, took $3.2 million in first-round funding from Bay Partners and Redpoint Ventures. The Hayward, Calif.-based firm hopes to integrated its technology into cleantech applications, particularly electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles and plug-in… Continue Reading
Maxim Integrated acquires Mobilygen for video compression
Surveillance semiconductor company Maxim Integrated Products announced that it will buy private video chip maker Mobilygen for an undisclosed amount. The large public company hopes the acquisition will provide it with the compression technology it needs to make analog security cameras compatible with digital streaming,… Continue Reading
Roundup: IT budgets dying on the vine, Chrysler’s electric cars, a cure for the bees, and more
Datamonitor points to IT budget freeze — Major sector analyst Datamonitor says that half of IT organizations around the globe will cap spending levels next year.
Chrysler to roll out electric cars — Car maker Chrysler will unveil a line of electric cars to its… Continue Reading