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VMware’s revolving door keeps on spinning
photo: Marianne O'Leary
Javier Soltero, CTO of applications and SaaS for VMware and Kevin Henrikson, who worked on Zimbra, both signed on with Redpoint Ventures. Read more »
Path reaches settlement with FTC, agrees to pay $800,000 fine for COPPA violations
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 »
Redpoint Ventures raises $400 million fund for early-stage investments
photo: Flickr/401(K) 2012
Redpoint Ventures has raised a $400 million new fund to invest in early-stage startups, specifically in the areas of mobile and cloud technology, big data, entertainment technology and delivery, and mobile infrastructure companies. Read more »
13 battery startups to watch in 2013
Here’s 13 rare battery startups working on next-generation manufacturing, chemistry and printing technologies. These battery companies could create innovation that could revolutionize electric cars, the power grid and how we charge up our gadgets and cell phones. Read more »
Scoop: Big Switch nails $25M for software defined networking push
The SDN startup’s Series B round comes courtesy of new investors Redpoint Ventures and Goldman Sachs. The money will be used to staff up an already tech-heavy engineering staff as the company readies its SDN controllers and applications for the market. Read more »
Zendesk refreshes and rakes in $60m for European push
The cloud-based customer service suite now has a simplified and more unified UI, and has also pulled in major funding from big names such as Index and Goldman Sachs. Read more »
Battery breakthrough could bring electric cars to all
A startup called Envia Systems that’s been working on lithium ion battery technology says it’s developed a key breakthrough that could one day lead to an electric car that has a 300-mile range and could cost around $25,000 to $30,000. Read more »
Caterina Fake’s Pinwheel raised $7.5M from Redpoint
Caterina Fake has launched a new startup called Pinwheel, a sort of “Flickr for places.” The startup has raised a $7.5 million Series A Round from Redpoint Ventures, in addition to funding from True Ventures, Betaworks, Founder Collective, SV Angel, Obvious Corp and other angels. Read more »
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Flash analysis: lessons from Solyndra’s fall
Solar technology startup Solyndra, which has raised more than $1.5 billion in private and government funds, has suspended manufacturing and laid off 1,100 full-time and temporary employees. We conducted a survey and asked GigaOM readers for their views on the fallout of Solyndra’s decision to file for bankruptcy and what the future holds for the company. This research examines the survey’s results. It also includes an analysis of Solyndra’s struggles over the past two years to move into mass production, and to do it amidst difficult and volatile economic conditions. Companies mentioned in this report include Evergreen Solar, First Solar and SpectraWatt. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Solyndra could be the biggest VC loss in history
When solar maker Solyndra files for bankruptcy it could lose a big chunk of its VC backers $1.1 billion (we’ll see how much any assets go for). That could make it the largest loss for venture capitalists in history. Read more »
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GigaOM Euro 20: the European startups to watch
Europe’s web scene is now thriving, and we’ve compiled a list featuring some of the best and brightest European web startups — what we’re dubbing the GigaOM Euro 20. Depending on how closely you watch Europe’s online scene, some of these companies may be familiar to you. Others you may not have heard of. But all of them are worth watching closely. In this report, we profile the 20 startups that we feel best represent Europe’s current tech scene. We have organized our list around perception, and as lists go, it is intended to be a guideline rather than a rule book. It’s not exhaustive, and clearly, with such a diverse and vibrant continent as our playing field, it never could be. Companies mentioned in this report include GetJar, Huddle, Made.com and Songkick. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Getaround Eyes Facebook, Electric Cars for “P2P” Car Sharing
If you own a car but don’t use it much, growing numbers of startups are itching to help you rent it out. One of the latest ventures is Getaround, which aims to set itself apart with a recipe involving Facebook, smart phones, and green cars. Read more »
Satish Dharmaraj: Forecasting the Cloud [video]
Is hardware dead? Has the energy gone out of the SaaS market? How has Amazon impacted the economics of it all? Find out in our sit-down interview with Satish Dharmaraj, co-founder of email startup Zimbra, who’s now a partner at Redpoint Ventures. Read more »
Formspring Got $10 Million in New Funds, RedPoint VC Leads
Formspring, a San Francisco-based social Q&A startup, has raised $10 million in fresh funding in a round led by Redpoint Ventures. Formspring.me is also part of a group of companies trying to capture a piece of a massive web trend: personal expression. Read more »
XMarks to Shut Down
Xmarks, the bookmarks syncing service is shutting down. The San Francisco-based company quietly announced on its website today. The four-year-old company was started by Mitch Kapor, who initially funded the company. Redpoint Ventures later invested in the startup. Xmarks failed to develop a business model. Read more »
