VatorNews

3 Unbreakable rules of recruiting

Reena A Jadhav — Sun, 19 May 2013 10:59:32 -0700

Josh Stein spills his recruiting secrets to Reena Jadhav at Splash

Recruiting right is clearly one of the top three priorities of any startup executive. In the first few years it can be the difference between survival and death of a venture. So how do you ensure you have the right strategy, processes and tactics in place? Josh Stein shares his unbreakable rules of recruiting in this interview with Reena Jadhav. ... [Read more]

Google accused of breaking antitrust law in Canada

Steven Loeb — Sat, 18 May 2013 11:04:14 -0700

Google has also been investigated by the EU, the United States and South Korea before

Google has found itself in a familiar situation: being accused by a federal agency of violating antitrust laws, this time in Canada. Canada's Competition Bureau recently notified Google of its intentions to investigate the company's business practices in Canada, it was reported by the Financial Post on Friday. Google has been informed that a formal inquiry is being opened, but no specific ... [Read more]

Yahoo to hold special event in NYC on Monday

Steven Loeb — Sat, 18 May 2013 10:06:17 -0700

Details are sketchy, but could the company be announcing the acquisition of either Hulu or Tumblr?

Yahoo has been in the news a lot lately with its reported interest in acquiring both two big Internet properties: Hulu and Tumblr. Now news has come out that the company is holding a "product-related" special event on Monday. — CNBC (@CNBC) May 17, 2013 "Product-related" would seem to be a pretty broad term, and one that could mean basically ... [Read more]

Andrew Mason is dropping an album. No srsly.

Faith Merino — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:16:00 -0700

It's not a joke. Mason has recorded a 7-song album of "motivational business music"

So…there’s this… …thing… Hmm. How do I put this?... Andrew Mason is recording an album. Of motivational business music. It’s not a joke. Really. No. Really. It’s not. I know you think it is. But it’s not. So…wow. I really can’t find my way out of this lede. Mason posted the news via his blog Friday morning, which was intended ... [Read more]

Funding roundup - week ending 05/17/13

Steven Loeb — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:26:33 -0700

Skift, Marqeta, Jelly, CrowdOptic, Luvocracy, EdgeSpring, Pebble, BitPay, BonitaSoft, AirWatch

Seed stage Travel news startup Skift raised an additional $1.1 million seed round. The new funding was led by Lerer Ventures and included Ironfire Angel, MESA+, Advancit Capital, Growlab/LX Ventures, who invested together. New angels investing in this round include Jason Calacanis, Michael Cunniff, Duncan Jennings, Sean Keener, Shakil Khan, Martin Nisenholtz, Paul Noglows, and Michael Yavonditte. OwnerListens, which helps online businesses prevent negative reviews, raised a $1.1 million seed round from Promus Ventures, Menlo Ventures, Commerce ... [Read more]

Yahoo is buying all the things! Maybe even Tumblr...

Faith Merino — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:14:00 -0700

Rumors abound, but can Yahoo afford the hefty price tag?

I kind of love Yahoo’s whole turn-around strategy, which can best be summed up as: BUY ALL THE THINGS!!!1! Just days after Yahoo was said to be considering a bid at the hot Internet TV service Hulu, rumor now has it that Yahoo is actually/also in “serious” take-over talks with the top execs of none other than Tumblr. CEO Marissa ... [Read more]

A list of top LA accelerators and incubators

Steven Loeb — Fri, 17 May 2013 08:48:00 -0700

Amplify, Launchpad, MuckerLab, Idealab and Science among those churning out new startups

As I have noted before, the tech scene in Los Angeles is on the rise. Part of that has to do with the categories that L.A. specializes in gaining traction, including digital media, gaming and e-commerce. There is also L.A.'s university scene, including UCLA, USC, UC Irvine, Caltech, UC Santa Barbara, Pepperdine and Loyola Marymount, which are also contributing, helping to produce more ... [Read more]

Government wants Google to answer Glass privacy issues

Steven Loeb — Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:00 -0700

Congressional Bi-Partisan Privacy Caucus sends a letter to Larry Page demanding clarification

Whenever new technology comes out, there is always a familiar chorus of people shouting about their privacy being invaded. And, most of the time, I kind of ignore it. For the most part, people can avoid having their privacy violated by simply not participating. Nobody is forcing anyone to get a Facebook account, or even an e-mail address if they ... [Read more]

Marqeta raises $14M to overhaul gift cards and rewards

Faith Merino — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:09:50 -0700

The platform powers the Facebook Card and allows users to store multiple balances

Online-to-offline payments and loyalty programs are becoming an increasingly hot space. Back in January, Facebook unveiled its very own Facebook Card, a reloadable gift card of sorts that can store multiple balances and makes it easier for consumers to send friends “gift cards” via Facebook. Now, it turns out that the Facebook Card is powered by Marqeta’s +M platform. Marqeta ... [Read more]

Biz Stone's Jelly raises money from big name investors

Steven Loeb — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:40:00 -0700

Al Gore, Bono, Jack Dorsey, Reid Hoffman and Evan Williams all contributed

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone has been remarkably cagey about what his new startup, called Jelly, is all about. But that has not stopped him from raising money from a pretty remarkable roster of investors. The company raised an undisclosed amount of money in a round led by Spark Capital with additional investment by SV Angel, it was revealed in a blog ... [Read more]

Amazon Prime adds Hannibal, Smash, and more to lineup

Faith Merino — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:50:58 -0700

Amazon Prime selection gets a boost with expanded NBCUniversal agreement

We all have guilty pleasure shows, like RuPaul’s Drag Race, Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, and Swamp People. Such shows are decidedly uncool and a total waste of headspace—but everybody watches them because they're awesome. My guilty pleasure is even lamer—so lame, in fact, that I only watch it when I’m home alone because I think my husband would never ... [Read more]

Now Time Warner is looking into buying part of Hulu

Steven Loeb — Thu, 16 May 2013 09:11:00 -0700

Time Warner reportedly considering taking an equity stake in the online-video site

(Updated to reflect comment from Hulu) Hulu is a hot property these days. The company recently revealed that it had set a new record for revenue in the first quarter of the year, that subscribers to Hulu Plus have doubled in a year, hitting 400 million in the quarter and that, for the first time ever, Hulu viewers streamed more than ... [Read more]

Google to Microsoft: shut down your YouTube app now!

Steven Loeb — Thu, 16 May 2013 00:02:00 -0700

Google says app violates terms of service by not allowing ads and allowing playback on all platforms

Google and Microsoft getting ready to go to battle with each other over a YouTube app. It all started when Google refused to let Windows Phone users connect to YouTube. In response Microsoft decided to build one itself. Earlier this month, the app was redesigned with the ability to pin videos, playlists, channels, and search queries to Start as Live Tiles ... [Read more]

Jana Partners buys up loads of Zynga and Groupon shares

Steven Loeb — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:41:00 -0700

Announcement sent both stocks up, but Groupon still ended down for the day

Zynga and Groupon are two companies that, honestly, could use a little help. Both companies went public in 2011, with lofty goals in mind, but have severly stumbled ever since. And they both finally got it in the form of Jana Partners, which acquired millions of shares of both companies, according to a report by Reuters Wednesday. Jana Partners purchased ... [Read more]

Atlantis Computing raises $20M Series D

Steven Loeb — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:11:14 -0700

Virtual desktop storage provider has now raised $35 million in funding

Virtual desktop storage provider Atlantis Computing has completed a $20 million Series D round of financing, it was announced Wednesday. The round was led by new investor Adams Street Partners, with previous investors Cisco Systems, El Dorado Ventures and Partech International also participating in the new financing. With this round, the company has now raised a total of $35 million in funding. ... [Read more]

Skift raises additional $1.1M seed round

Steven Loeb — Wed, 15 May 2013 09:58:42 -0700

Travel news startup was founded by paidContent CEO Rafat Ali

Travel news startup Skift has raised an additional $1.1 million, it was announced in a blog post Wednesday. The new funding was led by Lerer Ventures and included Ironfire Angel, MESA+, Advancit Capital, Growlab/LX Ventures, who invested together. New angels investing in this round include Jason Calacanis, Michael Cunniff, Duncan Jennings, Sean Keener, Shakil Khan, Martin Nisenholtz, Paul Noglows, and Michael Yavonditte. The new funding brings the company's total seed round to $1.5 million. Some of Skift's previous ... [Read more]

DocuSign acquires real estate services provider Cartavi

Faith Merino — Wed, 15 May 2013 06:00:00 -0700

The eSigning company plans to make a one-stop-shop for real estate professionals

For serious, I don’t know how people bought houses before the Internet. When I bought my house, I filled out so much paperwork that I really wouldn’t have been the least bit surprised if the lender also asked for a pap smear. The process of signing my soul over to Bank of America in exchange for a house took up ... [Read more]

Google set to enter the music streaming business

Steven Loeb — Wed, 15 May 2013 00:01:00 -0700

New service said to resemble Spotify, but will not offer free ad-supported version

The online music space is about to get even more crowded, if you can believe it. Google is set to launch a new subcription music-streaming service at its I/O developers conference, which starts Wednesday, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal Tuesday. The company has already signed licensing deals with several big studios, including Universal Music Group, Sony ... [Read more]

Car-sharing service RelayRides rolls up Wheelz

Steven Loeb — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:10:05 -0700

Combined forces will help compete against the likes of Uber, ZimRide, SideCar, Lyft and Hailo

Ride-sharing is a hot space right now, with companies like Uber, ZimRide, BlablaCar, Lyft, Hailo and SideCar vying for the same market. Now it just became a even more competitive with two ride-sharing companies having decided to join forces. Car-sharing company RelayRides has purchased one of its competitors, Wheelz, it was revealed in a blog post Tuesday. The Wheelz team, along with its ... [Read more]

Larry Page reveals full extent of his health problems

Steven Loeb — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:10:00 -0700

Google CEO has rare condition of two paralyzed vocal cords, affecting his breathing and speaking

Last summer, Google CEO Larry Page came down with a mystery illness, and was forced to cancel his speaking appearances. It was said that Page had lost his voice but what his actual illness was never revealed. Almost a year later, Page has finally decided to come forward and reveal the exact nature of his illness, revealing in a lengthy blog post ... [Read more]