The first quarter of cleantech was a mix of good and bad news. Avis’ purchase of Zipcar and Silver Spring Networks’ long-awaited IPO finally occurring were further signs of thawing capital markets and movement in the acquisition space. However, in both situations valuations were lower than hoped, a sign of how investors view cleantech. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The push messaging specialist has now raised a total of $46.6 million, giving it the capital it needs to expand internationally and possibly continue its recent acquisition spree. Read more »
Eight-figure VC investments don’t show up every day, but website tools firm Jimdo turned it down on principle – even though it knew the decision would make it harder to get to number one. Read more »
A prominent local VC has called for German venture capitalists to band together and create a seed platform, but others say the likes of Kickstarter and AngelList need to appear naturally and organically if they are to work Read more »
This report outlines the myriad issues at play in Facebook’s move, from examining how CEO Mark Zuckerberg wants to rewire the world to understanding the company’s infrastructure dependency. But from every angle, it’s clear the effects will ripple throughout the startup and tech communities. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
In the past couple of months, New York has attracted former San Francisco startup Qwiki, PlaceIQ from Colorado and recent 500 Startups graduate Snapette of Boston, which spent the past half of a year in Silicon Valley. New York is becoming a destination for startups. Read more »
The solar industry has begun 2012 with some trepidation, with many on the warpath to cut costs and reduce output. These moves give the market a chance to reduce inventories and get production more in sync with demand. But recovery will likely come slowly. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The first round of 200 tickets to the Crunchies, the annual tech innovation awards, go on sale today at 10 a.m. The award show will be held January 31, 2012, at Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco. Read more »
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 »
For years, owners of Android phones have generally gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to having great apps. But venture capital firms are finally starting to realize that the Android market should be much more than just an afterthought. Read more »
Individual seed investors have been an increasingly powerful force in Silicon Valley’s startup funding landscape. But some venture capital heavyweights say that while the VC industry has been shaken up by the increase of seed backers, the current environment will likely lead to a fall. 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 »
Much is being made lately of a potential new bubble forming in the tech industry. But some say things aren’t quite as frothy as they’re being made out to be. Many of today’s most well-funded startups may soon find themselves without necessary second round investors. Read more »
VCs are good for more than just their money. If you play your cards right, you can take advantage of their vast business knowledge and impressive contact list on their BlackBerry phones. These steps will help you go from outsider to VIP. Read more »
As the debate rages on about the role of “super angels” in the success or failure of startups, Scott Sandell of venture capital firm NEA suggests that, as funding sources shrink and venture capital firms disappear, we should celebrate these investors instead of vilifying them. Read more »
