Tuesday, February 16, 2010Insights and Opinions: Get Out Of The Office!For our Insights and Opinions section today, we have a post from Frank Addante , CEO and founder of Rubicon Project, which provides online ad optimization technology to publishers. Frank is a successful, serial entrepreneur, and tells about his experience growing Rubicon from a small startup to a much larger team.
I run a very different company today than I did a year ago. Running a global company with multiple product lines, a much larger team (spread out in offices around the globe) and (More info...)
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MySpace Goes Real-Time On GoogleUpdates for users on Los Angeles-based MySpace's social networking service are now being indexed by Google in real-time, according to Mike Jones, Co-President of MySpace. Jones said Tuesday in a blog post that the implementation of the firm's MySpace Real-Time Search API went live on Google today, so that live updates form its users--including news, photos, and blog posts--are shown as part of search results on Google's search engine.
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Friendgiftr Expands To MySpace, Other SitesHollywood-based Friendgiftr, a developer of a social media service which allows users to send gift cards to their friends, family, and others, has extended its service beyond Facebook and onto MySpace, iGogole, Ning, and Bebo, the firm announced today. The firm said it now offers gift cards from 120 different brands, including such companies as Gap, Dominos Pizza, Pottery Barn, Starbuck's, Chili;s and others. Friendgiftr was founded by Rob Carpenter and David Murphy, and is backed by individual (More info...)
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Emotive Communications Acquired By Zad MobileLos Angeles-based Emotive Communications, a venture backed provider of ringtone and mobile music products, was acquired last week by Zad Mobile. Emotive was venture backed by Mayfield, D. E. Shaw Ventures and Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments (BDMI). Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Emotive had raised over $13.95M in funding, and had itself acquired venture-backed Sennari Entertainment, a developer of loyalty programs for the mobile market, in 2008.
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Citrix Takes On Online TrainingSanta Barbara-based Citrix Online has entered into the online, interactive training market with the launch of a new product, the firm announced this morning. Citrix said its new Citrix GoToTraining product is targeted at businesses who want to host interactive training sessions for participants. Citrix Online said that the new product provides tracking of registrations, ability to distribute content and material such as tests, surveys, and recordings, as well as other features targeted at traine (More info...)
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Oblong Unveils At TEDLos Angeles-based Oblong Industries, a stealthy startup working on gesture-based user interfaces, unveiled its products last Friday at TED in Long Beach. The firm--which is venture backed by The Foundry Group--is headed by John Underkoffler, who was a science consultant on the film "The Minority Report," which prominently featured a gesture-based user interface as part of the plot. Oblong said its interface is called the g-speak Spatial Operating Environment.
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Mobicip Wins TX School DistrictThousand Oaks-based Mobicip, a developer of kid-safe, iPhone browsers, said today that it has signed on a school district in Texas to provide an Internet filtering for school-provided iPod Touch devices. Financial impact of the deal was not disclosed. Mobicip said that the Jim Ned Consolidated Independent School District is using the firm's software as part of an effort to send iPod Touch devices home with every high school student in the district. The firm's software is used to ensure that stud (More info...)
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Interview with Noah Auerhahn, ExtrabuxFor this morning's interview, we talked with Noah Auerhahn, President of San Diego-based Extrabux (www.extrabux.com), an online site focused on providing consumers with comparison shopping combined with discount offers. We talked with Noah about how the company grew out of a business plan competition at the University of Southern California, his recent funding from the Maverick Angels, as well as how the firm hopes to stand out among a crowded list of comparison shopping sites.
Noah, thanks f (More info...)
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Local.com Buys More Web Hosting CustomersIrvine-based Local.com reports this morning that it has acquired another 10,000 web hosting customers, from LaRoss Partners, LLC. The deal was worth $1.6M in cash. According to Local.com, the buy brings its total web hosting subscribers to 50,000. The new purchase of web hosting customers comes a month after the firm acquired 22,000 web hosting customers from LaRoss for $2.6M. Local.com says it is contracting with a third party to provide the web hosting services, and that the acquisition will b (More info...)
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WebVisible Raises $20MIrvine-based WebVisible officially announced this morning that it has raised $20M in a Series C funding round. According to the firm, the round was led by Focus Ventures and Adams Street Partners, with existing investors Redpoint Ventures and Sutter Hill Ventures also participating in the funding. WebVisible is headed by Kirsten Mangers. According to WebVisible, the funding will go to aggressively expand R&D on its platform, which is used by place local online advertising for small and medium si (More info...)
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Rubicon Updates Publisher ToolLos Angeles-based Rubicon Project, which supplies ad optimization software to web publishers, announced today that it has released a new version of its VANTAGE Firefox browser plug-in, which helps provide its publishers with revenue and impressoin statistics and other information. Rubicon--which is backed by a health $42M in funding from Clearstone Venture Partners, Mayfield Fund, IDG Ventures and GE/NBC Universal's Peacock Equity Fund--said the new software includes such features as allowing pu (More info...)
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Network Hardware Resale Names IT VPSanta Barbara-based Network Hardware Resale, a firm which sells used and new networking equipment, said this morning that it has named Mark V. Kelly as its Vice President of IT. IT was most recently at Den-Mat Holdings, and also has served at Situs Group and Mentor Corporation. Network Hardware Resale is a major seller of used Cisco, Juniper, and Foundry Networks hardware.
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D2 Adds Skype InteroperabilitySanta Barbara-based D2 Technologies, a developer of embedded software for implementing voice-over-IP and communications applications, said Monday that the firm has added Skype interoperability to its mCUE software for the Android operating systems. D2 said the support comes in addition to video call compatibility, HD voice support, cross-service conferencing, and other features. D2's software is used by OEMs to implement voice-over-IP software in their embedded devices, including handsets and ot (More info...)
posted on Tuesday, February 16, 2010(Full story)