Twitter acquires messaging infrastructure company Cloudhopper

April 23, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Twitter has announced the acquisition of Cloudhopper, a messaging infrastructure company that enables Twitter to connect directly to mobile carrier networks in countries all over the planet.

Twitter has been working with startup Cloudhopper over the last eight months to become one of the highest volume SMS programs in the world—Twitter processes close to a billion SMS tweets per month.

Deal Terms: Undisclosed
 
Acquirer:  Twitter
ACQ Web:  http://www.twitter.com
Other Web Links: Blog @twitter
Location:  USA, San Francisco, CA
Region:  North America
Description:  Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent messages.  People write short updates, often called “tweets”  of 140 characters or fewer.  These messages are posted to your profile or your blog, sent to your followers, and are searchable on Twitter search.
Category:  Social Network, Blog
Contact 1:  Jack Dorsey, Founder and Chairman
Contact 2:  Evan Williams, Founder and CEO
Contact 3:  Biz Stone, Founder and Creative Director
Contact 4: Ali Rowghani, CFO
Contact 5:  Dick Costolo, COO
 
Vendor:  Cloudhopper
Vendor Web:  http://www.cloudhopper.com 
Location:  USA, Seattle, WA
Region:  North America
Description:  Cloudhopperprovides mobile messaging technology and expertise to businesses in the wireless space. Currently, Cloudhopper powers some of the largest and most successful mobile messaging (SMS and MMS) campaigns in North America, Europe, and Africa. Based on its patent pending intellectual property, Cloudhopper supplies the underlying software and infrastructure to reliably scale and geographically disperse some of the world’s highest volume messaging programs.
Category: Mobile, Technology
Contact 1:  Joe Lauer, Founder bio  Twitter
Contact 2:  Kristan Kanaar, Founder Twitter 

Related DigiNet article: Twitter buys Tweetie Posted on April 15, 2010

FDN Reference:  F231109-396
 
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Eco-friendly reviews website Ecoscene has been acquired by Viewpoints Network

April 22, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Viewpoints Network, a provider of online product reviews and technology that helps retailers run online communities, has acquired Ecosceneinc.com, the two-year old consumer reviews website focused on green products.  It is Viewpoints first acquisition.

“We are excited to welcome Ecoscene readers and fans to the Viewpoints community,” said Matt Moog, President & CEO of Viewpoints Network. “There is a huge demand for eco-friendly products as consumers become more environmentally conscious. Those consumers who are already following the category are very active and outspoken individuals – just the type of consumers we want coming to Viewpoints.com to share their product feedback and help other consumers make smarter purchase decisions.”

Each of the existing Ecoscene reviews has been moved over to the Viewpoints.com platform and is available on http://www.viewpoints.com/aboutme/Ecoscene.

Ecosceneinc’s founder, Aimee Heilbrunn has joined Viewpoints as director of marketing. She comments on the acquistion at the Ecosceneinc.com website

Aprox. Value:  Undisclosed
 
Acquirer:  Viewpoints Network
ACQ Web:  http://www.viewpoints.com
Location:  USA, Greater Chicago Area, IL
Region:  North America
Description:  Viewpoints Network is a social technology and media company that helps leading retailers and brands positively impact the Triple Bottom Line of Social Commerce – incremental sales, actionable consumer insights and increased brand advocacy. The company operates two businesses: The Viewpoints Technology Platform, a hosted technology service for Social Commerce, and Viewpoints.com a leading user reviews and advice website.
Category:  Reviews, Commerce
Contact:  Matt Moog , Founder & CEO Linkedin
 
Vendor:  Ecoscene Inc
Vendor Web:  http://www.ecosceneinc.com 
Location:  USA, Chicago, IL
Region:  North America
Description:  Ecoscene takes a closer look at living green and provides readers unbiased, authentic, consumer experienced information on green products through a variety of mediums including weeekly e-mails, Searchable website database, Daily coverage on our blog, Social media sites including facebook, twitter, flickr, and youtube.
Category: Reviews
Contact:  Aimee Heilbrunn, founder    

FDN Database Reference:  F231109-393

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UBM acquires web-based marketing business SharedVue

April 21, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

United Business Media Limited has acquired SharedVue, a web-based marketing business, from its private shareholders on behalf of UBM’s Everything Channel division.

SharedVue has gained significant traction since its launch in 2007, generating revenue of $1.1 million in 2009. Everything Channel will leverage its strong client relationships to support SharedVue’s sales and marketing efforts, while investing in technical and operational infrastructure to drive future expansion.

Robert Faletra, CEO of Everything Channel, said, “The acquisition of SharedVue is in line with our strategy to enhance and expand our presence in the fast-growing web-based marketing space. SharedVue’s products are highly synergistic with our own and will help to meet growing customer demand in this area. SharedVue’s founding management team have built a robust, profitable and fast-growing platform in a short period of time, and we look forward to helping them grow the business through the next stage of its development.”

Aprox. Value:  Undisclosed

Acquirer:  United Business Media Limited
ACQ Web:  http://www.ubm.com
Other Web Links: http://www.everythingchannel.com 
Location:  USA, New York, NY
Region:  North America
Descriptions:  

  • UBM is a leading global provider of events; data, marketing and information products; print products; and targeting, distribution and monitoring services to specialist business communities. They have 5,800 staff in more than 30 countries, organised into specialist teams.
  • Everything Channel describes itself as “a one-stop shop for accessing, enabling, managing and accelerating technology sales channels”. The business provides sales and marketing solutions to sellers of technology.

Category:  Media Group
Contact 1:  Robert Faletra, CEO, Everything Channel view bio
Contact:  Rob Wiseltier, Chief Financial Officer, Everything Channel view bio 
 
Vendor:  SharedVue
Vendor Web:  http://sharedvue.com 
Location:  USA, Raleigh, CA
Region:  North America
Description:  SharedVue is a provider of highly scalable, subscription-based marketing automation software and consultancy services to blue-chip technology manufacturers. The company’s proprietary technology simplifies the process for updating product, pricing and promotional information within a channel marketing reseller’s network, as well as facilitating the management of direct sales relationships and internal communication with clients’ sales teams. The system also provides subscribers with detailed lead analysis at both the vendor and solution provider level.
Category: Marketing
Contact:  M. Reid Overcash, Chief Executive Officer view bio 

Recent UBM deals reported on Fusion DigiNet

FDN Database Reference:  F231109-391

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Wikio acquires e-reputation business Neotia

April 20, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Wikio, the European communication Group Specialising in the Blogosphere and Social Media, has Acquired Neotia, a Buzz Monitoring and Online Reputation Management Platform.

“Neotia provides us with an essential component of our strategy, as we aim to make Wikio the European leader in Social Media Marketing,” said Pierre Chappaz, CEO of the Wikio Group. “This union will be beneficial to our commercial teams – Ebuzzing and PromoDigital – who will be able to offer a global solution to advertisers and agencies,” he added.

Pierre Chappaz, Wikio Group CEO, founded Kelkoo, the leading European shopping search engine, which was sold to Yahoo! in 2004 for EUR475 million. He then became President of Yahoo! Europe, until he left to set up Wikio.

Wikio acquired Ebuzzing in December 2009 and PromoDigital in March 2010.

Aprox. Value:  Undisclosed
 
Acquirer:  Wikio Group
ACQ Web:  http://www.wikio.fr
Location:  France, Paris
Region:  Europe
Description:  Wikio Group focuses on the blogosphere and social networks, Wikio is a communications group operating in Europe and the USA. Wikio boasts sites in six countries, indexing over one million blogs and media websites; it is also a large European news portal with over 20 million unique visitors each month. Ebuzzing (PromoDigital in Italy), the advertising arm of the group, is a platform allowing advertisers to take part in the conversations taking place at the heart of the blogosphere and social networks via the diffusion of quality content and videos. Ebuzzing currently counts over 600 advertisers as clients.
Category:  Blog, Social Network, Advertising
Contact:  Pierre Chappaz, CEO 
 
Vendor:  Neotia
Vendor Web:  http://www.neotia.com
Location:  France, Cherbourg-Octeville
Region:  Europe
Description:  Buzz monitoring and decision analysis for marketing agencies, consultancies and big industry groups, and information systems for managing online reputation. Neotia also offers buzz monitoring solutions, providing advertisers with in-depth studies of their desired sector, as well as reports on advertising and buzz campaigns, carried out in partnership with communications agencies.
Category: Social Media Monitoring
Contact:  Jean-Pierre Colomb, Managing Director and founder 
 
Links: 

Neotia and Wikio were advised by Etienne Mouthon of Mirabaud Financial Planning S.A.
 
FDN Database Reference:  F231109-389
 
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FUND RAISING ROUND-UP

April 18, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

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1.       Groupon raises more funds at a $1.2 million valuation

2.       Online home work help site Cramster raises $6M

  • Details: Investors: Cramster.com, has secured $6M in Series B financing. Co-founded by Aaron Hawkey and Robert Angarita, Cramster is a provider of online homework help for college and high school students. Cramster previously raised a $3M Series A in September 2008 from online education entrepreneur, Shai Reshef.
  • Investors: Led by Primera Capital.  Primera Managing Partner Ori Sasson joins the Cramster board.
  • Location: USA, Pasadena, CA
  • Category: Education
  • Links: Press Release

3.       Mylikes raises $630,000

  • Details: According to TechCrunch, MyLikes has raises a $630,000 seed round. MyLikes was founded by Bindu Reddy and Arvind Sundararajan. Bindu and Arvind previously worked at Google where they were some of the key people behind Gmail, Google Base, Google Docs, AdSense and Google Video. MyLikes is a word-of-mouth advertising platform that allows the long tail of influencers on the web to create endorsements for products and services they like.
  • Investors: 11 other ex-Googlers.
  • Location: USA, San Francisco, CA
  • Category: Advertising
  • Links: TechCrunch

4.       Searchandise Commerce closes $7M in Series 2 Round

  • Details: Searchandise Commerce, an online media network for product manufacturers and their retail channel partners, has secured $7 million in venture capital funding. The new financing will be used primarily to expand the sales/marketing and operations teams. The company previously raised $7.5 million in venture capital in July 2008.
  • Investors: The Series 2 financing round was led by new investor Madrona Venture Group with participation from existing investors Cloquet Capital Partners LLC, DFJ Gotham Partners, Draper Associates, Inflection Point Ventures, Milestone Venture Partners and Wheatley Partners.
  • Contacts: John Federman, president and CEO, Searchandise Commerce: Brian McAndrews, Madrona Venture Group’s investment
  • Location: USA, Beverly, MA
  • Category: Retail,
  • Links: Press Release

5.       TweetPhoto receives $2.6 Million Series A Financing

  • Details: TweetPhoto, the real-time media sharing platform for the social web, has secured $2.6 million in a Series A financing. The company plans to use the capital to accelerate the development of its core offering, a platform of open APIs and mobile SDKs for real-time media sharing across the social web. The round will also allow the company to expand its developer relations program and to introduce new products that further strengthen its position as the preferred way for leading application developers to incorporate real-time media sharing into their applications.
  • Investors: Led by Canaan Partners, with additional investment from Anthem Venture Partners and angel investors.
  • Contacts: Sean Callahan, CEO of TweetPhoto: Deepak Kamra, General Partner at Canaan Partners: Brian Mesic, General Partner at Anthem Venture Partners
  • Location: USA, San Diego, CA
  • Category: Social Network, Software
  • Links: Press Release

6.       Tynet raises $8 million

  • Details: Tynt Multimedia Inc., the user engagement measurement, and developers of the Tynt Insight content sharing analytics service, has raised $8 million of additional venture capital financing from leading venture firms and private investors from the US and Canada. The financing will be used to introduce new products, expand sales and marketing, particularly in the US, Europe and Asia/Pacific, and to drive multiple new partnerships.
  • Investors: Led by Panorama Capital and other investors including Greycroft, Metamorphic Ventures, iNovia Capital, Disruptive Ventures, Newport Coast Investments (Chad Steelberg), W Media Ventures (Boris Wertz), Joe Apprendi (Collective Media), Allen Morgan (Mayfield Partners), Erik Matlick (Madison Logic), and Yen Lee (Uptake.com). Tynt also announced that Chris Albinson of Panaorama Capital will be joining its Board of Directors.
  • Contacts: Chris Albinson, Managing Director at Panorama Capital: Derek Ball, CEO and co-founder of Tynt
  • Location: USA, San Francisco, CA
  • Category: Publisher services
  • Links: Press Release
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Demand Media hires Goldman Sachs to explore IPO offering

April 16, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

According to Kenneth Li writing in the FT today, Demand Media has hired Goldman Sachs to explore an initial public offering and the company could file for an IPO as early as August.

Founded in 2006, Demand Media was founded in 2006 by Richard Rosenblatt (previously CEO of Intermix Media, Inc., and Chairman of Myspace.com) and Shawn Colo (previously a principal with Spectrum Equity Investors). The company has a network of premium online brands including eHow, Livestrong.com and Cracked.com: an Internet content studio: and an enterprise social media platform deployed on many of the world’s leading digital destinations. The company also owns eNom, the world’s second-largest domain registrar.

Demand Media has raised more than $355 million dollars from tier-one investors, including Oak Investment Partners, Spectrum Equity Investors and Goldman Sachs. The company was founded in May 2006 and is based in Santa Monica, CA, with offices in Bellevue, WA, Austin, TX, New York, NY and London, UK.

Demand Media’s Executive Team:

Link: Demand Media enlists Goldman Sachs in preparation for IPO FT.com April 16, 2010

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Twitter buys Tweetie

April 15, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Twitter has entered into an agreement with Atebits to  acquire Tweetie, an iPhone Twitter client. Tweetie will be renamed Twitter for iPhone and made free (currently $2.99) in the iTunes AppStore in the coming weeks. Founder, Loren Brichter will become a key member of Twitter’s mobile team.

The Twitter Blog reports, “careful analysis of the Twitter user experience in the iTunes AppStore revealed massive room for improvement. People are looking for an app from Twitter and they’re not finding one. So, they get confused and give up. It’s important that we optimize for user benefit and create an awesome experience.”

Aprox. Value:  Undisclosed
 
Acquirer:  Twitter
ACQ Web:  http://www.twitter.com
Other Web Links: Twitter Blog, @Twitter 
Location:  USA, San Francisco, CA
Region:  North America
Description:  Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent messages.  People write short updates, often called “tweets”  of 140 characters or fewer.  These messages are posted to your profile or your blog, sent to your followers, and are searchable on Twitter search.
Category:  Social Network, Blog
Contact 1:  Jack Dorsey, Founder and Chairman
Contact 2:  Evan Williams, Founder and CEO
Contact 3:  Biz Stone, Founder and Creative Director
Contact 4: Ali Rowghani, CFO
Contact 5:  Dick Costolo, COO
 
Vendor:  Atebits
Vendor Web:  http://www.atebits.com
Business Sold: Tweetie
Twitter: @atebits
Description:  iPhone Twitter client.
Category: Social Networks, Software
Contact:  Loren Brichter, Founder
 
Links: 

FDN Database Reference:  F231109-388 
 
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UK visual search company Plink has been acquired by Google

April 14, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

Launched just four months ago, visual search engine company Plink has been acquired by Google. Their first product, PlinkArt, which enables you to identify paintings and artworks with  a snap from your phone’s camera, will continue to be available for download and work as it currently does today. However, Plink will not be updating the app and will instead focus their development efforts on Google Goggles; Googles visual search engine. Plink founders Mark Cummins and James Philbin will join Google.

Aprox. Value:  Undisclosed
 
Acquirer:  Google
ACQ Web:  http://www.google.com 
Location:  USA, California
Region:  North Amerca
Description:  Internet search, e-mail, online mapping, office productivity, social networking, video sharing
Category:  Search
Contact:  Eric E. Schmidt, Chairman & CEO
 
Vendor:  Plink
Vendor Web:  http://www.plinkart.com
Other Web Links: Twitter
Location:  UK, Oxford
Region:  Europe
Description:  Plink makes visual search engines that let you find out more about something just by taking a photo of it. Our first product, PlinkArt, enables you to identify paintings and artworks with just a snap from your phone’s camera.
Category: Search
Contact 1:  Mark Cummins, founder
Contact 2:  James Philbin, founder 
 
Link: Announcement on Plink’s Blog

Related DigiNet articles

FDN Database Reference:  F231109-386
 
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Greycroft Partners closes its second fund to invest in digital media businesses

April 14, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

NEWS

Greycroft Partners LLC, an early stage venture capital fund based in New York and Los Angeles announced today the completion of $130.7 million in fundraising for its second fund, Greycroft II. Greycroft II will continue to focus on businesses in the digital media space, broadly defined as products or services delivered through a wireless device or via the Internet.

Greycroft II investors encompass a leading group of municipal and corporate pension funds and endowments led by JP Morgan Investment Advisors, in addition to individuals from across the corporate world. The General Partners of the new fund are the same as Greycroft I, Alan Patricof, Dana Settle and Drew Lipsher with the addition of Ian Sigalow, promoted from Principal.

Previously, Greycroft I raised $75 million, completely from high net worth individuals. During its four years in operation, Greycroft I made over 30 investments in the digital media space including: Collective, Huffington Post; Paid Content, which was sold to Guardian Media; Digisynd, which was sold to Disney; and Pump Audio, which was sold to Getty.

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Livedoor sold to NHN for just $67 million

April 13, 2010 — Fusion DigiNet

The Japanese unit of NHN Corp.has agreed with Tokyo-based LDH Corp. to buy Liverdoor Co. for 6.3 billion yen ($67.44 million) to ramp up its business in Japan. The portal at one time had a market capitalisation of more than $7bn before its founder, Takafumi Horie, was arrested in January 2006 and later found guilty of falsifying the company’s accounts and misleading investors.

Sale Price:  6.3 billion yen / $67.44 million. LDH are to sell 100,000 shares in Livedoor to NHN by May 10. The sale accounts for 99 percent of LDH’s holding.
 
Acquirer:  NHN Japan
ACQ Web:  http://www.nhncorp.jp/
Other Web Links: Game Portal – Hangame Japan, Mobile Game Community Site – Hange
Location:  Japan, Tokyo
Region:  Asia
Description:  NHN Japan, established in September 2000, operates Hangame Japan, which is the largest online game portal in Japan. It ranked first place in the entertainment category of Yahoo! Internet Guide’s the WEB of the YEAR for three consecutive years (2004-2006). 2008 (2008) Revenue 11,507 million Yen: Operating Income 544 million Yen.
Category:  Online Games
Contact 1:  Chun Yang-Hyun, Chairman
Contact 2:  Morikawa Akira, CEO
 
Vendor:  LDH Corp
Vendor Web:  http://www.ldh-corp.co.jp
Business Sold: Liverdoor Co.
Location:  Japan, Tokyo
Region:  Asia
Description:  Liverdoor Co. offers various Internet solutions in Japan and internationally. The company primarily provides computer network consulting, computer network management, development and sale of computer programs, and network content editing and design services. It operates in Japan, China, Thailand, Germany, and Spain. Liverdoor Co. was founded in 1996 under the name Livin’ On the EDGE, Inc. and changed its name to Livin’ on the EDGE Co., Ltd. in 1997. Further, it changed its name to EDGE Co., Ltd. in 2003 and to Liverdoor Co., Ltd. in 2004.
Category: ISP, Software
Contact:  President, Ishizaka Hiroshi, LDH Corp 
 
 
FDN Database Reference:  F231109-384
 
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