Carrier IQ Receives $12 Million To Monitor Carriers (and you)
Bridgescale Partners led Carrier IQ’s fourth round of funding, which totaled $12 million.
The startup collects real-time data for carriers directly from end-user’s handsets. Other companies collect similar information from a network perspective, but Carrier IQ is the unique in that it is the only company with deployed diagnostic software on end-user devices – more than 90 million mobile devices from 12 vendors contain the software globally.
Are mobile ads the next big thing?
Kevin Ryan, the former CEO of online-ad company DoubleClick, said he doesn’t see mobile advertising delivering on huge promises talked about by Google, Apple and others. He talks about how there is almost no mobile advertising today, how e-commerce sites get very little of their sales from mobile and the limited screen size. See the WSJ blog post: http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2010/05/10/are-mobile-ads-the-next-big-thing-maybe-not/
Where do you see the future of mobile advertising going? Does location based advertising change the game, or is an enhancement to a portion of the overall mobile advertising experience?
In my opinion, the current state of mobile advertising does not predict its future. There are two main areas of potential growth within mobile advertising:
1) Target Market: We are just now beginning to reach critical mass (in terms of targetable demographics) in the U.S. and many countries in Europe. We all see and hear the talk about the iPhone and smart phones, but the fact is that these still make up a small portion of overall mobile users. We will see smart phones with active data plans increasing as a percentage of the install base, but this will take time until the prices for data plans drop by another 50% to 75%.
2) Technology Advances: Many of the technologies that allow the advertising experience on mobile devices to capitalize on the mobile experience are new and are still developing. As an example, we have only recently begun to see location based advertising enter the market and advertisers (agencies) are still working to understand the best way to use this technology. What else can make the mobile advertising experience more beneficial to both advertisers and users? How can we better tie the mobile experience into the physical and fixed internet worlds?
Let’s not rule out the future of mobile advertising based on current technology. This is where companies that are able to truly leverage the ideas of employees and encourage innovation shine in the marketplace.
Continue the discussion below or in our LinkedIn group.
Tips for Winning Venture Capital
One of the stumbling blocks for many developing companies is the search for venture funding. You have to have the pitch down, but equally important are selecting which VC to target and the negotiation.
The Wall Street Journal has an article this week with a brief overview. Read the full article here.
What other tips would you offer to a company begging its search for Series A or later rounds of funding?
GM Launches Venture Arm In Attempt To Expand Automotive Tech
GM is launching General Motors Ventures with $100 million. The doors on GM Ventures are set to open on July 1st, which will put GM ahead of its counterparts in establishing a venture division specifically to target new technologies (electric power, entertainment, consumer integrations, biofuels, etc.).
This could be a great move for GM and for the other auto companies that follow. Major IT companies and Fuel companies took a similar approach years ago to accelerate technologies that complement their core business. IBM started IBM Venture Capital Group, Intel started Intel Capital and Shell started Shell Technology Ventures Fund.
National Semiconductor Offers New “Smart” Solar Technology
National Semi’s SolarMagic technology improves the efficiency of solar systems, even those already deployed in the field.
Solar panels frequently perform at different rates due to age, mismatches, shade, dirt, etc. SolarMagic components regulate the overall voltage and current flowing from each individual solar panel. The effect can be a significant increase in energy generation – as much as 20% according to SunEdison, which deployed the technology.
The company recently announced an expansion of their chipset. Read more…
Atlanta Companies Continuing To Snap Up Funding
FTRANS, an Atlanta-based company focusing on solutions for accounts receivable and credit management, secured $4 million in venture funding for a total of nearly $22 million since its founding in 2004.
FTRANS solutions manage the entire collections and receivables process for small to mid-sized businesses. In addition, the company allows financial institutions to diversify their lending portfolios while providing the companies with more efficient access to their revenue stream.
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Kudzu Interactive, an Atlanta-based company providing online and mobile ordering systems for the restaurant industry, secured $7 million in Series B funding for a total of $11 million total since 2004. This round will be used to accelerate sales and marking efforts to expand the business, with a focus on mobile and iPad development.
Kudzu Interactive’s uses location-based technologies (e.g. GPS, wi-fi and cell tower triangulation, etc.) to find the closest restaurants to end-users and provides the complete system to enable ordering and delivery. Their Snapfinger division already works with many national chains including Boston Market, California Pizza Kitchen and many independent restaurants.
The company is at the center of a number of converging technologies that offer great opportunities for growth, and thus possibly bringing increased competition. According to Jim Garrett, founder and CEO, the company’s revenues grew 420% in 2009 and continue to increase. This could be a race to establish brand equity early in the market and a true leadership opportunity.
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Whoop, an Atlanta-based company licensing a platform for the full management and publishing of text and media on mobile devices, raised $1.8 million via a credit line with an expectation of gaining access to another $1 million this year, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle.
Allscripts and Eclipsys to Merge
CHICAGO & ATLANTA, Jun 09, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) –Allscripts (NASDAQ: MDRX), the leading provider of clinical software, information and connectivity solutions for physicians, and Eclipsys (NASDAQ: ECLP), a leading enterprise provider of solutions and services for hospitals and clinicians, today announced a definitive agreement to merge in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $1.3 billion.
House Increases Taxes on Venture Capital: How is this a good idea?
Various politicians have been working to close a number of loopholes that allowed for a number of bad investment decisions. While we can debate whether there is too much (or not enough) government regulation in the financial markets, the implementation for the identified problem has some serious issues.
The bill passed by the House groups hedge funds (their target) with much of the venture capital markets and will tax part of the money they earn from profits from investments as standard income. Venture funding and hedge funds operate very differently and serve different purposes, but apparently many of our legislators cannot be concerned with the details.
This change will have cause a significant increase in taxes for the venture markets. Will it stop venture funding? No. Will it devastate the entire venture market? Not likely, although many have tried to claim that VC’s will close doors across the country. Will we see a further tightening of the requirements for venture funding and a reduction in overall innovation? Yes.
Zipcar files for $75M IPO to expand car-sharing service
Zipcar, the world’s largest car-sharing service, announced their IPO plans with a target of raising $75M.
Cambridge, Massachusetts residents Robin Chase and Antje Danielson founded Zipcar in 2000 based on similar business models in Germany and Swiss. Despite a number of struggles, the company has quickly grown to include a fleet of more than 6,000 vehicles with 275,000 drivers in 49 U.S. cities alone. In addition, the company continues to expand internationally with the recent purchase of London-based Streetcar and Spain’s Avancar.
What makes Zipcar stand out from others? The company offers a variety of upscale vehicles in many cities and partnerships with Ford and Toyota to test electric vehicles.
Pandora raises more funding, as music fans rejoice
Pandora, the company behind the most popular free music application on the iPhone, raised an undisclosed amount of amount of funding to continue its expansion.
There is increasing speculation that the company will file for an initial public offering in the coming months, but we believe this latest round of funding will delay that for at least a short period. If possible, the company would do well to continue its expansion without the prying eyes of the public markets.
The company has been growing quickly over the past few years. It has raised more than $56 million in funding, not counting this round, passed the 50 million user mark and recently had its first profitable quarter at the end of 2009. Pandora’s founder
Nielsen files for a $1.75 billion IPO
Three years of internal restructuring has improved Nielsen’s performance and prepared them for a $1.75 billion IPO.
Nielsen went public four years ago and brought on David Calhoun, previous GE vice chairman, to turn things around. The company filings credit Calhoun and his team for transforming the company:
Our financial performance has improved significantly between the year ended December 31, 2006 and the year ended December 31, 2009, with revenues increasing to $4.8 billion, a 5.7% compound annual growth rate on a constant currency basis; Adjusted EBITDA increasing to $1.3 billion, a 13.9% compound annual growth rate on a constant currency basis; and Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of revenue increasing to 27.2% from 21.8%.
Concerns for investors is the heavy reliance on a small number of customers. Nielsen receives more than 25% of its revenue from its top 10 customers.
The good news is that this filing is a sign of the economic turn around. Things are starting to improve.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis TN, was named the number 1!
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis TN, was named the number 1 U.S. News Best Children’s Hospitals 2010-11 for treating Children with cancer. While Children’s Medical Center-Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children of Dallas, TX is considered the #2 hospital in the nation for Juvenile Orthopedics.
Also, Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, TX was named #3 for Heart & Heart Surgery
Augmented Reality Game Developer Ogmento raises $3.5M
We have been waiting for this announcment for a while given our interest in the future of Augmented Reality (AR) and our connections to Ogmento team.
What is augmented reality? It is a technology that superimposes virtual data with views of the real world.
Ogmento, based in New York, announced that it raised $3.5 million in Series A funding. This funding is slated to allow the company to develop its AR game platform, expand operations in New York and Los Angeles and operate for the next 18 – 24 months. This round was led by Chart Venture Partners, with participation from CNF Investments and private investors.
While this is its first major round of funding, the company has already developed projects for Orange Telecom, SAP and others. In addition, Ogmento has several titles in development for release this year on iPhone, Android and several game consoles.
The future of AR is just beginning but with the recent explosion of Foursquare, Gowalla, other location based social games and Ogmento’s founding team (Brad Foxhoven, Brian Selzer, and Ori Inbar) this is company to keep an eye on. It is also an area where we may see several virtual world companies, such as CCP or Kaneva, may begin making entries into in the future.
InComm Buys Coinstar’s E-Payment Business
Atlanta-based InComm acquired Coinstar Inc.’s e-payment business for $40 million. The deal included a prepaid product portfolio including approximately 400 individual prepaid card products from more than 65 unique issuers in a variety of prepaid segments, including wireless, long distance telecom, branded retail gift, financial services and digital entertainment, in the US and the UK.
For those not familiar with Incomm, they are the nation’s largest provider of prepaid wireless products and gift cards, in addition to offering software and bill payment solutions. The chances are high that if you have purchased a gift card for a graduation present this year that Incomm manages the infrastructure and the back-end behind the card.
This continues a series of recent acquisitions by InComm over the past few years, as they continue to expand and are working to stay ahead of competition from similar providers and alternatives in the market.
UM researchers develop model for locating and forecasting sunken oil following spills
CORAL GABLES, FL (May 26, 2010)–A team of researchers at the University of Miami (UM) has developed a computer model for finding and projecting in time sunken oil masses on the bottom of bays, after an oil spill. The unique model can be used in oil spill planning, response, and recovery applications.
“Sunken oil is difficult to ‘see’ because sensing techniques show only a small space at a point in time. Moreover, the oil may re-suspend and sink, with changes in salinity, sediment load, and temperature, making fate and transport models difficult to deploy and adjust,” says James Englehardt, UM professor of environmental engineering in the College of Engineering and team leader for the project. “For these reasons, we have developed a unique approach to the problem, bridging sampling plan techniques with pollutant transport modeling, to create models of sunken oil.
The model was developed for the Emergency Response Division of NOAA/NOS/OR&R (NOAA’s Ocean Service Office of Response and Restoration), in Seattle, and the project was funded by the Coastal Response Research Center, University of New Hampshire.
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