Fusion Corporate Partners

FUND RAISING

Business: BookRenter.com
Web: http://www.bookrenter.com
Location: USA, Campbell, CA
Region: North America
Description: Student textbook rental service

Contacts:

• Mehdi Maghsoodnia, Chief Executive Officer
• Colin Barceloux, Founder & VP of Business Development

Investors include:

• Storm Ventures – Database Ref: I235-23-11-09
• Adams Capital Management – Database Ref: I236-23-11-09

Amount raised: $6,000,000

Link:  BookRenter Announcement   

Details: BookRenter.com, the online textbook rental site, has announced that it received $6 million in Series A financing from Storm Ventures and Adams Capital Management. This marks the first formal venture investment in the company since it launched in 2008. The new funds will be used to further extend the company’s reach and to build out the online platforms that enable existing partners to participate in the rental marketplace.  
Databases

• Fund Raising – Ref: F235-231109 
• Investors – Ref: I235-23-11-09: I236-23-11-09

Related Fusion DigiNet Articles: Chegg.com

ACQUISITION

Acquirer: Bloosky
Web: http://www.bloosky.com
Location: USA, Irvine, Ca
Region: North America
Description: Affiliate ad network
Contact: Matt Cook, CEO

Vendor: Tracking 202
Web: https://pro.tracking202.com
Location: USA, San Francisco, CA
Region: North America
Description: Details: Enterprise level PPC affiliate conversion-tracking platform, manages advertising campaigns on Facebook, MySpace and other platforms.

Contacts:

• Wes Mahler, Chief Executive Officer
• Steven Truong, COO & President

Approximate value: Undisclosed

Details: Tracking202 was founded in 2007 and have been fully self funding. They are an affiliate marketing business that manages advertising campaigns on Facebook, MySpace and other platforms. The business has been acquired by Bloosky, an affiliate ad network.

Link: Tracking 202 announcement 

Database Acquisitions – November 2009

ACQUISITION

Acquirer: eRepublic
Web: http://www.erepublic.com
Location: USA, Folsom, CA 
Region: North America
Description: Publishing, research, event, and new media company focused on the state and local government and education markets
Contacts:

• Dennis McKenna, President and CEO
• Paul Harney, Chief Operating Officer

Target: Governing magazine (from Times Publishing Co.) 
Web: http://www.governing.com
Location: USA, Washington, DC
Region: North America
Description: State and local government magazine
Contact: Fred Kuhn, Publisher

Approximate value: Undisclosed

Details: e.Republic today announced it has agreed to acquire Governing magazine from the Times Publishing Company. According to COO Paul Harney the combined organizations create the largest media firm providing news, research and analysis of the $2.9 trillion state and local government market.

Link: Press Release 

Database Acquisitions – November 2009

FUND RAISING

Business: MyFit
Web: http://www.myfit.com
Location: USA, Mountain View, CA
Region: North America
Description: A Facebook Application and website for students and families investigaiting colleges
Contact: Jason Mueller, co-founder

Investors include:

Investor: NEA (leader)
Web: http://www.nea.com
Location: USA, Menlo Park, CA
Contact: Patrick Chung, partner at NEA

Amount raised: $1,000,000

Link:  Press Release      

Details: MyFit, a new service that aids students and parents through the stressful college admissions process by analyzing applicants’ social and academic profiles, social networking profiles and personal interests to find their college counterpart, today announced a Series A funding round of $1 million led by NEA.
 
Database Fund Raising – November 2009

ACQUISITION

Acquirer: Investor group led by Silver Lake and includes Joltid Limited and certain affiliated parties, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Andreessen Horowitz
Web: http://www.silverlake.com
Location: USA, Cupertino, CA
Region: North America
Description: Private Investment firm
Contact:

• Jim Davidson, co-founder of Silver Lake and Chairman of the Executive Committee
• Glenn Hutchins, co-founder of Silver Lake

Target: Skype (from eBay)
Web: www.ebayinc.com
Location: USA, San Jose, CA
Region: North America
Description: Video and voice calls, send instant messages and share files

Contacts: John Donahoe, President and CEO eBay

Approximate value: $2.75bn

Details: eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) announced today that it has successfully completed the previously announced sale of its Skype communications unit in a deal valuing the business at $2.75 billion. The buyer, who will control an approximately 70 percent stake, is an investor group led by Silver Lake and includes Joltid Limited and certain affiliated parties, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Andreessen Horowitz.

eBay received approximately $1.9 billion in cash and a note from the buyer in the principal amount of $125 million. The company retained an approximately 30 percent equity investment in Skype. The company also purchased senior debt securities with a face value of $50 million as part of a Skype debt financing.

Link: Press Release 

Database Acquisitions – November 2009

ACQUISITION

Acquirer: MySpace
Web: http://www.myspace.com
Location: USA, Beverly Hills, CA
Region: North America
Description: Social networking website
Contacts:

• Owen Van Natta, CEO
• Tom Anderson, Co-Founder & President

Target: Imeem
Web: http://www.imeem.com
Location: USA, San Francisco, CA
Region: North America
Description: Ad supported streaming music

Contacts: Dalton Caldwell, founder

Approximate value: $8-10,000,000

Details: MySpace Buys ad supported music streamer Imeem News Corp’s MySpace purchased streaming music competitor imeem for a price reported to be between $8 to $10 million.

Link: Wired     

Database Acquisitions – November 2009

FUND RAISING

Business: Immunet
Web: http://www.immunet.com
Location: USA, Palo Alto, CA
Region: North America
Description:

Contact: Oliver Friedrichs, Founder and CEO

Amount raised: $2,000,000

Link: Press Release

Details: Immunet has raised $2 million in an oversubscribed Series A round led by Altos Ventures with participation from Atlanta-based TechOperators. Ho Nam, General Partner of Altos Ventures, has joined the board of Immunet. Immunet launched Immunet Protect, its first product, in August 2009. Immunet Protect is a cloud-based antivirus application focused on protecting communities.
   
Database Fund Raising – November 2009

FUND RAISING

Business: Limelife
Web: http://www.limelife.com
Location: USA, Menlo Park, CA
Region: North America
Description: Women focused content media company

Contact: Kristin McDonnell, President
Amount raised: $1,000,000

Link: Regulatory Filing 

Details: Limeliffe has raised $1 million according to an SEC filing, though the backer is not disclosed. Previous backers include Monitor Ventures, U.S. Venture Partners, Core Capital Partners, and Rustic Canyon Partners.

   
Database Fund Raising – November 2009

FUND RAISING

Business: Chegg.com
Web: http://www.chegg.com
Location: USA, Santa Clara, CA
Region: North America
Description: Student textbook rental service

Contacts:

• Osman Rashid, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
• Aayush Phumbhra, Senior Vice President of Operations and Co-Founder

Amount raised: $57,000,000 (in funding)

Link: Press Release 

Details: Chegg.com has closed a $57 million Series D equity funding, led by Insight Venture Partners. In addition, Insight Venture Partners also led a syndicate that has provided a $25 million credit facility, adding to the $30 million in debt facility recently secured from Pinnacle Ventures and TriplePoint Capital. As part of the funding event, Deven Parekh from Insight Venture Partners joins Chegg.com’s Board of Directors. Previos investors are Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Gabriel Venture Partners, Primera Capital and Foundation Capital.

Database Fund Raising – November 2009

ACQUISITION

Acquirer: Adknowledge
Web: http://www.adknowledge.com
Location: USA, Kansas City
Region: North America
Description: Performance-based advertising network that utilizes  predictive technology to connect advertisers with consumers across multiple channels.
Contact: Dwayne Lafleur, General Manager of Social Advertising

Target: Socwww.SocialMedia.com
Location: USA, San Francisco, CA
Region: North America
Description: Platform that enables social advertising across the web 

Contacts:

• Seth Goldstein, Co-Founder & CEO
• Dave Gentzel, Co-Founder & VP Products

Approximate value: Undisclosed

Details: Adknowledge, the largest privately-held advertising network, announced today that it has obtained the advertising business of SocialMedia.com. Adknowledge has made seven acquisitions in two years.

Press Release 

Database Acquisitions – November 2009