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Brazil's Startup Industry: Impressions, Insights & Lessons from Israel (Part I)
May 08, 2:09PM
Initial Capital was launched in 2011 as an investment firm targeting early stage startups in Israel and Brazil. The unlikely investment focus is the result of three friends — two Israeli and one Brazilian — turned professional investors. Our Israeli investment network was rather mature when we launched, so we were able to hit the ground running and in the nine months since our launch, Initial has invested in six Israeli-based startups. In Brazil, however, we spent our first nine months developing a similar network from scratch. Slowly but surely learning and embracing the state of, and the challenges facing, the Brazilian startup industry. A few months ago we embarked on a week long, 50-meeting tour across São Paulo, Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro. Our insights after the jump...Nokia Adds Apps To The Lumia: Rovio, EA, ESPN, Groupon, Box Among Them; Some Exclusive
May 08, 1:43PM
Windows Phone is way behind Android and iOS when it comes to apps -- only about 80,000 apps compared to 500,000-600,000 each at the other two -- too far behind to possibly ever catch up in actual numbers any time soon. So it makes sense that Windows Phone players cherry pick the best and most popular that are out there to make sure that at least these are on their platform. Today Nokia did just that: it announced deals with a raft of companies, including Box, Groupon, EA, ESPN, Rovio and more to add their apps exclusively to Windows Phone for Nokia's new range of Lumia devices. Announced at the CTIA event, the deals look like they could be the first instance of Nokia leveraging the Windows Phone platform to offer content exclusive to users of its devices: up to now, services like Nokia Maps were actually being rolled out to the rest of the Windows Phone footprint.Mobile Payments Platform Square Finds A Foothold At Art Fairs And Farmers' Markets
May 08, 1:42PM
Mobile payments processing platform Square has been used by a variety of individuals and businesses, from charities to taxis to food trucks to political campaigns. Next up—art fairs and farmers' markets. The company says that at Etsy's New York's Spring Handmade Cavalcade last weekend in Brooklyn, over 90% of the vendors used Square to accept payments. And this weekend, Square says that many vendors at Unique LA, the largest independent fashion market in the country, will use Square to process card payments. Unique LA expects over one and a half million dollars to be spent in its market over the weekend.Nearing The 1M User Mark, Expensify Adds 'Trips' Feature To Mobile Apps
May 08, 1:00PM
It seems that Expensify is not done with its mission of making "expense reports that don't suck" quite yet. Today, the San Francisco-based startup launched new features that make the whole process even easier. Expensify has updated its entire suite of mobile apps with a new feature called "Trips," which lets people file work-related travel expenses and itineraries with Expensify as they book their trips. TechCrunch TV sat down with Expensify founder and CEO David Barrett, who gave us the rundown on the new mobile updates -- as well as some new numbers about his company's growth so far and plans for the future.This Real RC Car Transformer Is Ready To Roll Out
May 08, 1:00PM
If you watch one homemade Japanese RC car transformer video today, make it this one. This amazing little roadster switches from sports car to dancing robot in a few seconds and it can even walk while in robot mode, and, more important, transform back into a car in the blink of an eye.ComiXology Announces 65M Downloads, Inks Exclusive Multi-year Deal With Marvel To Distribute Digital Comics
May 08, 12:59PM
Comics on the iPad. A match made in nerd heaven, right? Well, today it gets even better with the announcement that ComiXology and Marvel Entertainment have entered into a multi-year deal that sees the former exclusively distributing the latter's digital catalog of English language single issues. Though the deal was actually signed on May 1, the announcement was delayed to make way for a particular movie premiere that some of you may have participated in over the weekend, Peter Phillips SVP and General Manager of Marvel Digital Media, tells TechCrunch. Neither company would elaborate on the length of the deal but both agreed that the partnership would allow them to advance the art of digital storytelling.Remember: The New York Mini Meet-Up Is Happening Tonight At 6pm
May 08, 12:43PM
And we're off: the TC New York Mini Meet-Up is on for tonight, May 8, from 6pm-10pm at Bar 13 on 13th St. and University Pl. It will be a Blastoise. Special thanks to our volunteers and good old Jordan for spearheading the entire operation. A special thank you goes out to our sponsors. And thank you for making this a potential success. You can RSVP on our PlanCast page for the Meet-Up.
JumpTap: Kindle Fire Usage Has Declined After Holiday Boost, iPad Back To Pre-Fire Launch Levels
May 08, 12:33PM
The Kindle Fire from Amazon has stolen a march in the tablet world, with some estimating that it now makes up more than half of all Android tablets in use in the U.S. today. But the latest monthly figures from mobile ad network JumpTap today paint a different picture in terms of usage. JumpTap noted that in the months after its launch, Amazon's device rapidly picked up market share, reaching 33 percent of all traffic on its network in January 2012. But since then, the figure has gradually been in decline and is now at 22 percent. Meanwhile, Apple's iPad -- which had lost share to the Kindle Fire -- is now back to 65 percent, or where it was before Amazon launched its tablet.Crowdfunding: $1.5B Raised, 1M Campaigns Funded In 2011; Figures Set To Double In 2012
May 08, 12:20PM
Well, it's been quite a year already for the crowdfunding industry. With the JOBS Act becoming law, the tech industry (and the economy) are headed for some big changes, as the legalization of crowdfunding in startups for non-accredited investors has come to pass. Not only that, but the most well-known crowdfunding platform has been busy racking up a blockbuster season. If it weren't there already, Kickstarter hit the tipping point in February, as it saw a number of record-breaking projects and landed squarely in mainstream consciousness thanks to a slew of media coverage. Yet, as crowdfunding prepares for its stampede, many have been asking just how active the industry has been to this point, collectively, especially as it may indicate what's in store. Luckily, Massolution, a research firm that specializes in crowdsourcing and crowdfunding, is today providing an answer. Having collected data from more than 170 crowdfunding platforms, Massolution found that, collectively, these platforms raised $1.5 billion and successfully funded more than 1 million campaigns in 2011.Wi-Fi Alliance Pushes Passpoint As A Solution For Customer And Carrier Data Woes
May 08, 12:00PM
Smartphone and tablets owners are clamoring for access to more Wi-Fi on the go, or so a new study from the Wi-Fi Alliance claims. Out of 1,000 US-based smartphone and tablet owners, 87% of them indicated that they wanted greater Wi-Fi availability for their mobile devices, and 85% said they preferred Wi-Fi over cellular data "for at least one common online activity." That's all well and good (and not a surprise in the slightest), but what would these people actually do in order to gain access to more Wi-Fi hotspots?Want To Know What Apple Will Do Next In Mobile Commerce? Check Out The Pirq It's Giving To Employees
May 08, 11:42AM
As device makers like RIM, Samsung and Nokia incorporate NFC technology into their mobile devices, Apple has been radio silent on what its plans will be in mobile commerce and payments. But a deal that is getting announced today could be a clue to one area where Apple might see a big opportunity. Apple has signed on with Pirq, a startup from Seattle, to offer food and drink daily deals to its employees in the Bay Area, with the service working by way of an iPhone app, location-based technology, and a Microsoft Tag code to redeem the discounts. A source tells TechCrunch that this is the first part of a potential "four phase" implementation that could see Apple offering a deals service out to all iPhone users.Pathwright Launches Platform To Let Anyone Create, Sell Branded Online Courses
May 08, 11:34AM
Education is changing, and startups like Coursera another, CodeAcademy, Treehouse, StraighterLine, Khan Academy, Lynda.com, and Udacity,(among others) are all carrying the torch for online education and the flipped classroom. But what also unites them is that they are fortunate to have the resources and capital to build their own custom platforms and infrastructure. But the reality is that there are thousands of traditional schools, education providers, learning coaches, etc. producing stellar learning content that lack the engineering resources or tools necessary to share their awesome content with the masses. This is where Pathwright comes into play. Greenville, South Carolina-based Pathwright was founded by a team of hackers (and educators) who have set out to build a platform for "the next wave of educators" -- a simple, DIY content management system that lets any and all educators create, distribute, and sell online courses under the banner of their own branded, online schools.Customer Loyalty And Rewards Platform For Local Businesses Belly Raises $10M From Andreessen Horowitz
May 08, 11:29AM
Chicago-based Belly, a startup that is a fast-growing contender in the local business customer loyalty and rewards space, has raised $10 million in Series B funding from Andreessen Horowitz. The company also announced that Andreessen Horowitz partner Jeff Jordan, former chairman and CEO of OpenTable and former president of PayPal, will join the Board. This latest round of funding adds to a seven-figure round raised by the startup from Lightbank, the venture firm founded by Groupon co-founders Eric Lefkofsky and Brad Keywell. Belly wants to reinvent customer loyalty rewards through gamification, digital check-ins and a iPad setup for businesses. But the startup has a slightly different take on how to achieve this. Belly offers a quick-setup, plug-and-play rewards platform to merchants. Part of this is an in-store iPad (which Belly supplies) that is used to validate paying customers right at the point of sale, and serves as a check-in point. Belly will also train employees to encourage them to participate in the program.MobileBackstage Secures More Funds To Connect Fans With Artists
May 08, 11:03AM
Lady Gaga has captured the imagination of the entertainment world with her team's successful social media engagement with the fans she calls her "Little Monsters", and many other artists and agents are scrambling to capitalise in similar ways. At the same time startups are appearing to meet this need. To that end MobileBackstage, an interactive fan club service that develops these online relationships between artists and fans, has just today announced it closed a bridge funding round of $1.3 million (€1 million) back in April. The investment was led by Finnvera, the financing vehicle of the Finnish state, which was joined by Miston, a privately owned investment company, management team members, as well as a group of angel investors. The cash will be used for growth, developing the platform and new offices in San Francisco, going existing offices in New York, London and Helsinki.Singtel's Amobee Buys AdJitsu To Take Mobile Ads Into The Third Dimension
May 08, 10:02AM
Another bit of consolidation in the mobile advertising space -- this time with an ad-tech twist: Amobee, the mobile ad company that itself was the subject of a takeover by Singtel only two months ago, has now bought an ad startup of its own: AdJitsu, a specialist in "3D" advertising technologies that let users "touch" objects in ads and explore them. Trevor Healy, the CEO of Amobee, says that financial terms of the deal are not being disclosed. Prior to the acquisition, AdJitsu was a wholly-owned division of another mobile advertising company, Cooliris.Mojo Motors Fuels Up With $3M From Atlas, RPM For Better Used Car Shopping
May 08, 9:36AM
Mojo Motors, a discount shopping site for used vehicles, has raised $3 million in series A financing, led by Atlas Venture, with participation from existing investors RPM Ventures, NextView Ventures, and others. As a result of the round, Atlas Venture Partner Ryan Moore will be joining the startup's board of directors. The round brings the startup's total to just under $4 million. Launched in 2011 by eBay Motors and Ford Motor Company veteran Paul Nadjarian, Mojo Motors is looking to bring the process by which expert car buyers search for the best used vehicles to the average Joe.With 70 Million Registered Users, Viber Brings Beta Apps To BlackBerry, Windows Phone
May 08, 9:00AM
We've been covering Viber since the very beginning, through the launch of an Android app and the addition of photo/location sharing capabilities, to the moment the company announced 50 million users, 150 million calls, and a billion text messages per month. In fact, those milestones only sprung up a few weeks ago in February, and even more achievements are already being announced today. Between February and now, Viber has already jumped from 50 million users to 70 million users, who just so happen to talk for more than a billion minutes and send over a billion text messages per month. Daily, those numbers translate to over 7 million calls and 40 million texts, within which location sharing is being used about 10 percent of the time.Evine: Former HSN CEO Takes On The Bigs, Launches Interactive Shopping Platform For Women
May 08, 6:57AM
For over a decade, if you were to say "home shopping," you were likely referring to the experience of viewing products on your TV set, and ordering over the phone. After launching in the '80s, it wasn't long before television networks like QVC and The Home Shopping Network (HSN) had become synonymous with "home shopping." The Web and eCommerce changed that. Today, QVC and HSN both have active online shopping experiences, and HSN, for example, does 35 percent of its sales on the Web, which alone represents a multi-billion-dollar business. As the CEO of HSN in the late '90s and early '00s, Mark Bozek oversaw the launch of HSN.com as well the network's expansion overseas, which doubled the networks revenue. Having served as HSN's CEO for four years, and having served as VP of Broadcasting at QVC, Bozek knows the business -- and its target customer -- well. That's why he and team are today launching Evine, a commerce platform that aims to create an engaging and online-only version of the HSN and QVC model.Inside The Ballmer Peak-a-thon: The Boozy Hackathon With No Biz Guys Allowed [TCTV]
May 08, 5:38AM
Dozens of programmers gathered together this past weekend in downtown San Francisco to do two things: Celebrate Cinco de Mayo, and collectively pursue the "Ballmer Peak," an elusive state of inebriation at which people supposedly attain "superhuman" coding abilities.Olympus Releases Rugged TG-1 Point And Shoot Camera
May 08, 5:00AM
The latest in what I like to call pro-point-and-shoots (I'd put the Canon G12 and the S95 in this category), the TG-1 from Olympus promises high-speed, f2.0 snapshots in a body that can take a lick and, potentially, keep on ticking. When we last saw Olympus, they were killing it with their micro 4/3s models. This one, at 12-megapixel shooter, is a little bit different but it still is compelling enough to carry as a second camera. It has a backlit CMOS sensor and TruePic VI image processor as well as high-speed autofocus and a 10x zoom.If at any time you'd like to stop receiving these messages, just send an email to feeds_feedburner_com_techcrunch+unsubscribe-hmdtechnology=gmail.com@mail.feed2email.net.
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