Awe.sm has secured $4 million in Series A funding. Awe.sm is probably best known to most people for its URL shortening service, but the San Francisco-based startup says it’s actually rooted in a deeper software platform attached to those shortened links that provides analytics tools. Read More »
Tech
Nowadays, many people’s email inboxes are overflowing with deal advertisements. As much as everyone loves a bargain, it can all be a bit overwhelming. A new app called Frugalo aims to separate the wheat from the chaff in our daily deal overloaded email inboxes. Read More »
Infochimps, the two-year-old company that runs a “data marketplace” where owners of datasets can charge for their usage, is swapping CEOs. Co-founder Nick Ducoff has stepped down from the CEO role, and the company is looking for a “seasoned executive” to take his place. Read More »
Gilt Groupe, the designer flash sales website, is reportedly set to start prepping an IPO next year. But as more consumer and retail companies get savvy to the web and mobile worlds, should IPOs of companies like Gilt and Groupon really be considered tech industry stories?… Read More »
There’s been a lot of media buzz in recent months about the lack of racial and gender diversity in the tech startup landscape. Now new data from the National Venture Capital Association indicates that the VC field is similarly homogenous: It’s very white and mostly male. Read More »
Can diamonds be a geek’s best friend? De Beers, the global diamond conglomerate, thinks so. Element Six, a De Beers subsidiary focused on manufacturing synthetic diamonds, has opened a new venture capital office in Silicon Valley to “proselytize” the use of diamond material in tech. Read More »
Austin’s answer to TechStars or YCombinator shows off its graduating class of startups today (plus 15 other companies) as the third year of the Capital Factory accelerator program comes to a close. I went out last week to interview the startups to get readers the scoop.… Read More »
Inkling, the digital textbook software startup, has closed on $17 million in new funding to expand its software for converting college textbooks for use on the iPad. Inkling CEO Matt MacInnis says the money will be put toward meeting the “effectively unlimited demand” for its… 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 »
The FinTech Innovation Lab, an accelerator program for financial tech startups, graduated its first class on Friday. This first batch of companies is bringing some impressive ideas to bear on data, analytics and payments and showing there’s room for new approaches in the financial sector. Read More »
Senior venture capitalists have said they are planning to dump slow-burning investments in biotech in favor of the faster returns offered by dotcom companies. But while changing focus may seem like a practical investment strategy could be a depressing — and ultimately dangerous — shift. Read More »