Looking to get in early on a potentially disruptive technology, Silicon Valley’s top investors have teamed up to form the Glass Collective, committing to the technology and supporting developers building for it. Read more »
When building successful apps, both designers and engineers have to remember that they are on the same team, said Kleiner Perkins’ Michael Abbott at Structure: Data 2013 Wednesday. Read more »
Path, which got into privacy related hot water in early 2012, found about 3,000 minors (below 13) on its network, purged them and now has reached a settlement with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to become COPPA compliant. Read more »
Groupon’s precipitous stock decline since its public offering in November 2011 has turned the local commerce company from a web hero to a piñata. The problem is that of false expectations and lofty valuations from a company that was never really a tech-company. Read more »
Egnyte nets $16 million in Series C funding to position itself as a leading hybrid cloud storage provider. The cash brings its total funding to $32 million. Google Ventures led the round which included funding from existing investors Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Polaris. Read more »
The press might be preparing for a trial or big-dollar settlement in Ellen Pao’s sexual harassment case against venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers, but her lawyers probably aren’t sleeping easy just yet. There are still two issues that could move the case to arbitration. Read more »
The second greentech startup that had planned an IPO this month has now withdrawn its plans citing market conditions. Luca Technologies, a startup which uses biotech to produce natural gas via microbes in coal beds, announced that it intends to withdraw its IPO plans. 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 »
A new app from the founders of Tapjoy is emerging to combine mobile and social commerce on iOS and Android devices. The app, called Karma, makes gifting to friends a breeze, by integrating with a user’s social graph on Facebook and suggesting gifts for them. Read more »
VC power player Kleiner Perkins is reportedly considering a new fund that will be dedicated to cloud computing companies. Whether or not it follows through, KPCB has already backed big-time cloud plays including Zynga and brought a former Twitter exec in as senior partner. Read more »
AppDynamics netted $20 million in new Series C funding led by Kleiners Perkins Caufield & Byers, a new investor. Existing backers Greylock Partners and Lightspeed Venture Partners also participated in this round which will help fund the company’s application performance management offering. Read more »
The 2012 CES show hasn’t even officially kicked off and already the smart energy home has emerged as a key target for a variety of sectors, including telcos, big box retailers, startups, chip companies and now cable operators like Time Warner Cable. Read more »
SoundCloud, a web audio startup, has raised $50 million in new funding from investors led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. GGV Capital also participated. Previous investors in the company include Union Square Ventures, Index Ventures and Doughty Hanson Technology Ventures. Read more »
A lack of progress for battery technology is (arguably) the single biggest barrier for gadgets, electric vehicles, and the power grid. But there’s hundreds of researchers, entrepreneurs, universities and large companies working on battery breakthroughs. Here’s 25 you should know about: Read more »
Venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is raising a second $250 million fund to invest in Chinese companies, according to a filing. Kleiner hasn’t closed on any of the funds yet, called the KPCB China Fund II, according to the document. Read more »
Exclusive: There are lots of great summer internships at Silicon Valley startups. But top engineering students often pass them up for the money and name recognition companies like Google can provide. So Kleiner Perkins has partnered with InternMatch to attract top-flight students to its portfolio companies. Read more »
Can gorgeous design, learning algorithms and millions in venture capital funding make a simple home thermostat as coveted as the iPhone? If anyone can achieve such a lofty goal it’s Tony Fadell, the godfather of the iPod and iPhone, who has founded connected thermostat company Nest. Read more »
When an investor or entrepreneur makes high-risk bets on early stage companies, failure is always part of the equation. For Kleiner Perkin’s Bill Joy he says more of the early-stage greentech startups he invests in with fail early, but can turn into something more meaningful. Read more »
In the cleantech and utility worlds, it’s called “the smart grid” and “energy efficiency.” In the broader tech realm, it’s called the “Internet of Things.” Let’s bring these two ideas together, because the Internet of Things will play a crucial role in making systems more efficient. Read more »
A new lighting control startup, Enlighted Inc, which says it can cut lighting energy by between 50 and 75 percent, has launched with a splash and $14.2 million from high-profile investors Intel Capital, Draper Fisher Jurvetson and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Read more »
Aquion Energy, which is developing a low-cost battery for the power grid made from sodium and water, has closed $20 million of a planned $30 million round and has brought on investor Foundation Capital in addition to existing investor Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Read more »
On the heels of Silion Valley startup iControl securing a deal to provide its software for Comcast’s new home security and energy management service, iControl announced that it has raised another $50 million in a Series D round from its long list of high profile investors Read more »
Aquion Energy has one overriding goal: to change the way the world uses energy. The idea is to build modular, sodium- and water-based energy storage devices that can provide a slew of services for a cleaner power grid at relatively low cost. Read more »
On a few occasions this week, I have had folks ask me: What’s with the crazy investments and insane valuations? Are we in a bubble? The problem is that too many investors — from angels to large banks — are going after the A-Rods of the tech world. Read more »
Mary Meeker, the Queen of the Net is coming home, joining Klenier Perkins Caufield Byers. In hiring her, KPCB is taking yet another step away from cleantech and back to the world of Internet investments. A workaholic, Meeker is what KPCB really needs. Read more »
