Private Equity
Earlier today, my cohort Larry blogged about the latest VCJ cover story that discussed what it is like to be a female VC. VCJ subscribers can read the story here. I've heard it said that the VC industry does not have enough women as GPs since I began covering tech and venture capital in the early '90s. And even though I can name lots of notable female investors, the VCJ article contains some interesting stats that are worth mulling over from Cynthia Padnos at Illuminate Ventures. A PR spokeswoman with a client in the story told me she thought the story was insightful, educational and entertaining. She also loved all the quotes from the mentors of the women featured.
2 min read · 03 June 2010
1 min read · 02 June 2010
Sure, it helps to have friends. But you just don’t call ‘em up and ask for funding. “It’s not that easy,” says Steve Larsen, co-founder and CEO and Menlo Park, Calif.-based PhoneTell. The company (f.k.a. CallSpark) launched on Monday at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in New York and released a new app for Android smartphones that helps users identify and manage incoming calls. Versions for other platforms are in the works.
2 min read · 27 May 2010
2 min read · 20 May 2010
On Monday, San Jose, Calif.-based Infineta Systems came out of stealth mode to announce that it has raised $15 million in its first round of institutional venture capital. That amount of cheddar can support a lot of growth. Last week, I met co-founder and CEO Raj Kanaya, who said that the funding will help boost its sales and marketing team in advance of a product roll out later this year. The company currently employs 20, most of who are focused on product development. He said among the challenges he faces in running a startup is finding and recruiting the best talent available. “We have to complete against Facebook, AdMob and other new, large companies that pay well,” Kanaya says. “Our employees know that they may have left some initial cash on the table, but it matters to our engineers that they’re working on something important that’s going to make a huge difference in relieving Internet data center traffic.”
2 min read · 12 May 2010
Mara Segal doesn’t like the “K” word, which in her line of work refers to kiosks. What about a vending machine? Retail on demand? Auto shops? “I’m not sure. The nomenclature hasn’t been determined yet,” says Segal, CEO and founder of San Francisco-based Utique. “But what I do know is that the need for convenience is propelling the growth of these kinds of sales. All we need is an electrical outlet and foot traffic, and we can open a store.” While it seems that most startups these days focus on some kind of mobile app, Utique has created technology that it hopes will change the face of retail. Utique has patented the technology behind the machine seen above, which in this example sells beauty products, such as mascara and lip balm, and even mink eyelashes (for $160).
2 min read · 06 May 2010
SkyFire Labs Inc. CEO Jeffrey Glueck met me earlier this week to show off the latest version of his company's Web browser for mobile devices, which was released today for the Android. Glueck came armed with a Nexus phone and several other devices. But unlike the dolt at Apple (you know the guy, Gray Powell), Glueck didn’t leave any phone behind. I was interested in meeting Glueck (pictured here) for several reasons. His company is venture-backed, having raised $17.8 million in Series A and B rounds from Lightspeed Venture Partners, Matrix Partners and Trinity Partners, with the most recent infusion coming late last year.
2 min read · 29 April 2010
3 min read · 28 April 2010
3 min read · 22 April 2010
2 min read · 21 April 2010
