As more MVNOs populate the mobile landscape, it’s becoming harder for one virtual operator to distinguish itself from another. GIV is separating itself from the pack by focusing on charitable giving. Read more »
The next breakout Kickstarter project may emerge outside the U.S. for the first time now that the popular crowd-funding site is preparing to expand overseas. The start-up announced on Twitter that people in the UK will be able to launch projects starting this fall. Read more »
Skype and Lovefilm backer Index Ventures has just added a new €350 million early stage fund to its arsenal, and now plans to use it to back dozens of companies across Europe, America and Israel over the next three years. Read more »
Forget Quora: Swedish startup Mancx is trying to put a twist on question and answer sites by getting people to pay real money for the information they receive — and it’s just raised another $1.65m to expand. Read more »
Three years in, Kickstarter has raised $200 million for 22,000 projects. But the platform is evolving from just a patronage service for artistic projects to a store front for products. Technology and design products now account for 15 percent of all funds raised. Read more »
UK-based Notion Capital has announced a new fund focused on European cloud and software-as-a-service startups. So what will happen to it? We found out where — and how — that money is likely to be spent. Read more »
This quarter the EV market struggled to find its footing. Meanwhile, the smart-grid sector solidified and low-power technology proved itself important in the data center. Read more to learn what these news pieces and others mean for the larger space over the next few months. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
French business networking site Viadeo has long played second fiddle to LinkedIn. But with a fresh round of funding in the bank, the company plans on becoming the world’s leading player thanks to growth in countries like China, Russia and Brazil. Read more »
VC firm Earlybird has raised a $100m fund that will be largely focused on Berlin — and partner Ciarán O’Leary says the German capital could become as important as Silicon Valley by playing to its single-minded strengths. Read more »
Russian investment group Digital Sky Technologies — a significant backer of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other Silicon Valley darlings — is raising a new $1 billion fund. So where will this tranche of money go? Read more »
NationBuilder, a startup that’s created an online community organizing platform that can be used by anyone to build a campaign around a cause, announced today that it has raised $6.25 million led by Andreessen Horowitz and a bunch of Facebook Mafia members. Read more »
For the first time, not one but two Kickstarter projects eclipsed the $1 million pledge mark, within hours of each other yesterday. The milestones highlight the bigger momentum behind Kickstarter, which is rounding into form as a major funding tool. Read more »
Kickstarter had a huge year in 2011, taking its crowd-funding model to new heights. The New York start-up, which is helping a growing number of artists, creators, performers and accessory makers get over the funding hump, just released some year end statistics and they are impressive. Read more »
Kickstarter, the fund-raising engine for an increasing number of creative projects, is poised to have a breakout winter as a film funder, with three of its projects on documentary short lists for the Academy Awards and more than a dozen films headed to Sundance. Read more »
CapLinked, an online platform that brings together companies and private investors, said it has eclipsed $10 billion in private deals listed on the platform since it launched a year ago. Now, it’s opening up the platform to professional investors with a new product called DealRocket. Read more »
myGengo, a startup that provides customized language translation services, has taken raised $5.25 million in new funding. myGengo is unique because it’s priced competitively — less than half the average price of professional translation — but its translations are made completely by humans, with no machine translation. Read more »
For years, the world of venture capital was largely shrouded in a veil of secrecy. But in the past 18 months, AngelList has started to change that in a big way. The social network for VCs and startups has grown impressively since its February 2010 debut. Read more »
Foursquare has raised $50 million in a new funding round led by venture capital firm Andreessen-Horowitz, bringing Foursquare’s total venture capital investment to just over $70 million. The new backing will certainly come in handy as Foursquare works to keep its own edge in a growing space. Read more »
Game maker Valve kicked off a promotion today that allows fans to force the early release of Portal 2 if they buy a bundle of 13 independent games through its online store. It’s an innovative idea, though the execution makes the effort feel a little crass. Read more »
In a little less than two years, Kickstarter has helped thousands of artists and creative types raise millions of dollars for projects, validating a new form of crowd-based fundraising that’s opening the eyes of not only artists, but also technology leaders. Read more »
The second season of Anyone But Me racked up over 4.5 million views since its premiere in December. But the Streamy-winning lesbian teen drama’s third season may now depend on its fanbase, as its creators initiate a donations program with a twist. Read more »
UPDATED: Wyclef Jean, Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews and Justin Timberlake are just a few of music stars that will take part in tonight’s Hope For Haiti Now benefit concert, starting at 5 p.m. PST and 8 p.m. […] Read more »
More venture firms will try to raise funds in 2010 after a dismal 2009, but some won’t be able to, and will have to begin the long process of shutting down. Entrepreneurs seeking funds should know when a prospective investor has to raise more money. Read more »
I work with a number of nonprofit organizations and associations. A common theme among them is their reliance on fundraising efforts to gather money for their projects. While some groups may use a content management platform like Wild Apricot (which includes built-in features to help with […] Read more »
Some sporting events aren’t particularly well-suited for online video distribution. Football has too many stops and starts. A hockey puck is practically invisible on a YouTube screen. But horse racing, with its short run time and breathless action, makes for video that pops no matter the […] Read more »
