Chris Caceres's channel on VatorNews

Playing some electronic tunes with Smule

Chris Caceres — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 06:30:00 -0700

Vator's Startup Sessions takes you into the creative startup culture of iPhone app developer, Smule

(Note: This mini-documentary was originally posted in April 2010. But we wanted to highlight it again because we thought it was so cool.) I've been a fan of Smule since the company launched Ocarina for the iPhone. In case you're not familiar with the app, basically it makes use of the iPhone's touchscreen and microphone to simulate the experience of ... [Read more]

VatorSplash Finalist: iChange

Chris Caceres — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 15:10:00 -0700

iChange wants to be the online destination to help you improve your health

Fullerton, Ca.-based iChange, competed a few weeks ago at our Vator Splash event in San Francisco. The company's CEO, Stu MacFarlane presented his pitch on stage in front of several hundreds of entrepreneurs and investors. Here's the video we captured and a summary of what the company is working on. iChange offers a platform through which individuals can receive professional ... [Read more]

Vator Splash Winner: Udemy

Chris Caceres — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:50:00 -0700

Udemy wants to be the, "academy of you"

Palo Alto, Ca.-based Udemy, competed a few weeks ago at our Vator Splash event in San Francisco. The company's Co-founder, Gagan Biyani presented his pitch on stage in front of several hundreds of entrepreneurs and investors. Here's the video we captured and a summary of what the company is working on. Udemy's tagline, "academy of you," describes it perfectly. The ... [Read more]

VatorSplash Finalist: Hey! You Up There!

Chris Caceres — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 06:00:00 -0700

Upcoming startup wants to be the online sports network for your kids

San Francisco, Ca.-based Hey! You Up There!, competed a few weeks ago at our Vator Splash event in San Francisco. The company's VP of Strategy, Jim Kiles presented his pitch on stage in front of several hundreds of entrepreneurs and investors. Here's the video we captured and a summary of what the company is working on. The startup is building ... [Read more]

VatorSplash Finalist: Baduku

Chris Caceres — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 14:12:00 -0700

Baduku could be the next online opinion engine for anything

Santa Ana, Ca.-based Baduku, competed a few weeks ago at our Vator Splash event in San Francisco. The company's CEO, Namanh Hoang presented his pitch on stage in front of several hundreds of entrepreneurs and investors. Here's the video we captured and a summary of what the company is working on. "Baduku.com is to review Websites, as what Twitter was ... [Read more]

VatorSplash Finalist: Mindbloom

Chris Caceres — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 06:00:00 -0700

A social game which aims to help its users maintain a healthier life

Seattle-based Mindbloom, competed a few weeks ago at our Vator Splash event in San Francisco. The company's co-founder, Brent Poole presented his pitch on stage in front of several hundreds of entrepreneurs and investors. Here's the video we captured and a summary of what the company is working on. Mindbloom has built what it calls a "Life Game." It's an ... [Read more]

Vator Splash Finalist: DormNoise

Chris Caceres — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 15:14:00 -0700

DormNoise wants to be the standard calendaring tool for colleges and Universities

Cranston, Rhode Island-based DormNoise, competed a few weeks ago at our Vator Splash event in San Francisco. The company's founder, Jay Rodrigues presented his pitch on stage in front of several hundreds of entrepreneurs and investors. Here's the video we captured and a summary of what the company is working on. DormNoise has built a platform which functions as a ... [Read more]

52% of U.S. adults have watched online video

Chris Caceres — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 12:50:00 -0700

Pew report finds online video consumption continues to rise

With videos from YouTube and Hulu embedded all across the Web, there's no denying online video is everywhere. A new study by Pew Internet backs this notion finding that seven in ten Internet users (69%) or roughly half (52%) of all U.S. adults have used the Web to watch or download video. The survey, which sampled 763 Internet-using adults went ... [Read more]

Vator Splash Finalist: YouHaveIWant

Chris Caceres — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:00:00 -0700

YouHaveIWant can help you match your 'wants' and 'haves' with other people. Think used items!

New York-based YouHaveIWant, competed a few weeks ago at our Vator Splash event in San Francisco. The company's co-founder, Vik Panda presented his pitch on stage in front of several hundreds of entrepreneurs and investors. Here's the video we captured and a summary of what the company is working on. Real-time matching is what this startup is all about. YouHaveIWant ... [Read more]

Transpera raises $9 million

Chris Caceres — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 12:46:00 -0700

Looking to be the most effective mobile video ad-network

Streaming video on your smart phone continues to rise, and that's why this SF-based startup just landed another round of funding. Transpera, a mobile video ad network, announced on Wednesday it raised $9 million in Series C financing. BlackBerry Partners Fund led the round, which included participation from existing investors Flybridge Capital Partners, First Round Capital, Intel Capital and Labrador ... [Read more]

Vator Splash Finalist: Arkayne

Chris Caceres — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 06:00:00 -0700

Arkayne scans through millions of Web pages to find relationships and build links for you

Arizona-based Arkayne, competed a few weeks ago at our Vator Splash event in San Francisco. The company's co-founder, Paul Kenjora presented his pitch on stage in front of several hundreds of entrepreneurs and investors. Here's the video we captured and a summary of what the startup is all about. Serving as Internet marketing software, Arkayne helps businesses get found online. ... [Read more]

Giiv lands $3.35 million

Chris Caceres — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 15:31:00 -0700

Startup wants to be the go-to site for sending gifts via redeemable text-message coupons

Giiv, a startup in the mobile gifting space, announced on Tuesday it has raised $3.35 million in Series A financing. Investors include Google's CEO Eric Schmidt, Saban Ventures, Founder Collective and SK Telecom Ventures. The Los Angeles-based company focuses on one simple area: mobile gifting via text. Here's how it works - users create an account with Giiv, check out ... [Read more]

GSI Commerce acquires FetchBack

Chris Caceres — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 09:24:00 -0700

Looking to bring aboard FetchBack's ad retargeting solutions

GSI Commerce announced on Tuesday morning it has acquired Fetchback, a provider of retargeting solutions. The amount of the acquisition was not disclosed but sources across the Web are reporting it was in in the $40 million range. Arizona-based Fetchback raised a total of $1 million in Series A funding, back in 2008 from Metamorphic Ventures and Angel Investors Geoff ... [Read more]

YouTube adds Google Moderator

Chris Caceres — Thu, 27 May 2010 10:30:18 -0700

Video giant looking to spark some more intelligent audience feedback for your videos

YouTube is looking to spark smarter conversations across its video-sharing site. Today, the company announced it's integrated Google Moderator to enable real-time feedback from its audience. In a blog post, the company said, "Every day, hundreds of millions of videos spark dialogues on everything from the future of the African continent, to what should be done about the oil spill, ... [Read more]

Ogmento raises $3.5 million

Chris Caceres — Wed, 26 May 2010 13:42:00 -0700

Startup lands funding for its augmented reality gaming platform

Augmented reality (AR) is a fast growing technology being used in applications for smart phones. If you haven't experienced it, basically it's all about using your phone's camera feature to see information about the world around you. For example, pointing your phone on a city street to find out the nearest metro or bus line around you. But what about ... [Read more]