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Accel Leads $4.5M Series A In Trufa, An SAP HANA Startup Using Predictive Analytics For Opex Efficiency
Dec 04, 10:33AM
Accel Partners has led a $4.5 million Series A funding round in Heidelberg, German-based startup Trufa, which is focused on improving enterprises operational efficiency using real-time analytics that tap into SAP-based ERP systems - and displaying the results via easy-to-digest tablet apps. As part of the investment, Bruce Golden, Partner at Accel Partners, will be joining the Trufa board, along with former SAP execs Paul Wahl and Alex Ott. Trufa says it uses HANA in-memory database technology to “analyze unprecedented volumes of operational data” - describing its system an alternative to making operational decisions based on “backwards-looking case studies and intuition”. With its tablet-based interface, called Scoop, and apparently “no need for a specialist staff of data scientists” to crunch the data, Trufa is another startup taking a consumerisation approach to enterprise software - using predictive algorithms to simplify a common but complex and costly enterprise problem of how to optimise opex spend. The startup cites a recent PricewaterhouseCoopers study suggesting global public companies have some $5 trillion in cash locked up in working capital that could be freed up via operational improvements - if better operational decisions were made. Trufa, which developed its software by drawing on ERP and data analytics expertise from “seasoned industry veterans from Lawson, SAP and VMS AG”, says its apps perform analytics of root/cause relationships between operation and financial metrics; allow enterprises to prioritise operational initiatives based on their financial impact; and measure their progress. It adds that its the system can start working after “no more than one week of initial data integration”. Commenting on the funding round in a statement, Golden said: "Trufa is addressing a major industry problem with a solution that can have a tremendous impact on a company's financial performance. We look forward to working with this world-class team on transforming operational decision-making and building a global software leader."
The Android-Powered, Dual-Screen YotaPhone Launches In Russia And Beyond For €499
Dec 04, 7:30AM
Remember the YotaPhone? The delightfully kooky Russian smartphone that pairs a bog-standard LCD screen with an eInk display on its rump? It's been teased for a launch for months now, but the company behind it has just spilled the beans at a press event in Moscow: the YotaPhone will launch in Russian and Europe today complete with a confirmed €499/19,990 RUB price tag, right in line with rumors that flew around earlier this year.>From The Infinity Ventures Summit In Kyoto/Japan: 12 Japanese Startups Set Out Their Pitches
Dec 04, 6:31AM
Japanese VC firm Infinity Venture Partners is organizing the so-called Infinity Ventures Summit Fall 2013 (IVS) in Kyoto/Japan this week, an online industry event that's taking place twice a year. Like at every IVS, a few hours of the program on the second day (today) were reserved for a total of 12 local startups to set out their pitches in front of about 700 attendees. Here is a rundown of all the services that were introduced at the event's launch pad.
Steve Case's Revolution Growth Invests $22 Million In Local, Organic Salad Chain Sweetgreen
Dec 04, 5:01AM
Local, organic salad chain Sweetgreen has attracted $22 million in funding from Revolution Growth, the investment fund founded by Steve Case, Ted Leonsis, and Donn Davis. Along with the funding, Case will join the board and advise Sweetgreen founders Nicolas Jammet, Jonathan Neman, and Nathaniel Ru.Brazilian Antivirus Startup PSafe Raises $30M Series C From China's Qihoo 360 And Redpoint e.ventures
Dec 04, 1:55AM
Brazilian antivirus startup PSafe announced a $30 million Series C investment round today. Chinese antivirus company Qihoo 360 led the round with a $25 million investment, and existing investors Redpoint e.ventures and Pinnacle Ventures returned to contribute another $5 million. PSafe is a free antivirus software for the Brazilian market, with 30 million installs to date, and heavy initial adoption among Brazil's B and C middle classes. It runs in the background and updates on its own so users never have to worry about whether they're running the current version. PSafe also offers unlimited free cloud storage to backup users' hard files. Founder and CEO Marco de Mello (pictured) calls it the "don't talk to me" antivirus. "I think people are starting to realize, 'why pay for something when I get mediocre service, if I can get something better for free,'” de Mello says. "It's better and free." PSafe has 20 million average monthly users and no revenue. But de Mello, a Spotrunner veteran and former director of Microsoft Windows Security, says he's in the business of building trust, not revenue – for now. De Mello says the company's focus is to reach 100 million users and is planning for the milestone with an app, content and game store that will live within the PSafe interface. PSafe has no direct Brazilian competitors, but international antivirus heavyweights AVG, Avast, McAfee and Symantec all operate in Brazil. De Mello cites a cultural advantage, saying it's the only one with free Portuguese support, 24/7. De Mello plans on using the growth capital "on tech build-out, obviously," and on scaling to 100 million users. But he's planning more holistically than a cost-per-acquisition campaign, designating the lion's share of his user acquisition budget to awareness marketing. "We need to educate users about what they're facing every day in Brazil when they pick up their Android phone or log on to Windows.” PSafe's database goes back almost three years and includes 7.3 billion different threat signatures. The software detects about 70,000 new threats per day, and announces some of them in Portuguese at @PSafeTecnologia. The top-level threats are cyber theft and financial attacks against individuals, followed by more coordinated attacks that take over a lot of machines at once to attack a bigger target without users knowing their computers are infected. "That's part of the awareness I'm trying to drive," de Mello says. "If you don't secure your machineIn Rovio And Supercell's Wake, Finland's Gaming Scene Sees A Renaissance
Dec 04, 1:36AM
Somehow, 2013 marked the year that Helsinki became a global gaming capital in its own right. Maybe it was because Supercell, a humble gaming studio that started back in 2010, blossomed into a $3 billion company in less than a year. Or maybe it was when Rovio announced the two billionth download for Angry Birds with a dubstep dance on-stage from the Finnish National Ballet. Or maybe it was because even Japan's most influential gaming entrepreneurs like widely respected DeNA founder Tomoko Namba and billionaire and GungHo co-founder Taizo Son showed up for Finland's flagship startup conference Slush last month. Even global VC firms like Accel, Atomico and Index held competing dinners all on the same night to scout for their next hit-maker. Or maybe it was just the naked Finns shamelessly running around during the conference after-party between the freezing ocean and the sauna at 2 a.m. in the morning. In any case, this Nordic critical mass is no fluke. Supercell and Rovio's wake has left a generation of local game designers and developers invigorated and hungry to prove themselves on the world's stage. There are 180 gaming studios across the country, up threefold from 2010, according to statistics from Neogames and IGDA Finland. “The main difference is that the companies now believe in themselves. They know they can do anything,” asserted Peter Vesterbacka, the chief marketing officer of Rovio (pictured below). A New Wave of Emerging Games Studios In 2009, you could have said it was interesting that Angry Birds originated from Finland of all places. Last year, it raised eyebrows that there were two, not one, gaming phenoms out of the country. Now there are dozens of studios waiting in the wings like Grand Cru, Next Games, Boomlagoon, Playraven, Seriously, Frogmind, Fingersoft and others. Grand Cru, the most watched up-and-coming team out of the region, has been polishing its Minecraft-inspired title Supernauts for well over a year and is set to launch in a few days in Finland in timing with the country's independence day. Staffed with alums from earlier gaming predecessors like Digital Chocolate, Max Payne-developer Remedy and Redlynx, Finland's studios aren't novice game makers. Many of them come with more than a decade of experience in a community that traces its roots back more than 20 years into the early 1990s Demoscene, where thousands of developers would huddle around glowing computer screens hacking at mega-conferencesNew Card Skimmer Attaches To A Real POS Card Reader Like A Nasty Succubus
Dec 04, 1:24AM
Brian Krebs has found a fascinating example of a card skimmer - essentially a machine that steals your credit card number - that masquerades as a real POS terminal. The skimmer fits over the ubiquitous Verifone POS reader and even reads key-presses. It is virtually indistinguishable from the actual POS card reader and can be slipped on and off without the retailer's knowledge - or, more chillingly, with the retailer's consent.Yahoo Acquires Team Behind Dreamworks Animation Incubated Mobile Video App Ptch
Dec 04, 12:49AM
Ptch, the DreamWorks Animation-incubated mobile video startup, has been acquired by Yahoo. The app was launched just over a year ago and will shut down on January 2, 2014. Until then, you'll be able to download your ‘ptches' if you're a user, or save them out to your camera roll. The announcement was made on the Ptch blog this afternoon. “As part of the Yahoo team,” the announcement reads, “we'll be able to focus our efforts and leverage our technology to make Yahoo's photo and video platforms the best in the world.” Due to the text of the announcement and the fact that the product will be shuttered, we're calling this one an acqui-hire. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Ptch was an app that started inside DreamWorks Animation, as a project of its CTO Ed Leonard, who ended up taking on the CEO role. Co-founder Hans Ku also worked at DreamWorks. When we spoke to the Ptch team last year, there were around 20 of them, about one-third of which came from DreamWorks. About two-thirds of them came from outside places like Yahoo and Myspace. Now, it looks like some of them will boomerang back to the big purple. The app allowed users to remix their videos with effects and music, and to offer their original clips up to others in order to mash them up and remix them further. The concept was centered around allowing friends and people with shared experiences to use all of their combined media to craft the ‘story' of the event. There's no word on where this leaves DWA Investments, the separate company that was funded by DreamWorks and which created Ptch. Since it's equity-owned by the employees, it seems like it would go along with the acquisition, likely to be dissolved. This continues Yahoo's strategy of absorbing talent in the mobile app design and development space. Yahoo is in the process of retooling all of its offerings to be mobile-centric, and developing new properties to bolster its media empire. In order to do that, it's been snapping up small teams and products that have strategic value of some sort, but mostly for the people.Amazon To Look Into Deliveries By Self-Driving Car
Dec 04, 12:13AM
Just kidding. But since Jeff Bezos is going to pull his April Fool's Day jokes early for traffic, then so will we. Because quite honestly, 'twas the night before Cyber Monday, and all through the house, every creature was stirring, posting to Twitter about Amazon considering deliveries through drone.Send In Your Questions For Ask A VC With DFJ's Josh Stein
Dec 03, 11:31PM
Ask a VC is back this week after a brief hiatus--and our guest this week is DFJ managing director Josh Stein. As you may remember, you can submit questions for our guests either in the comments or here and we'll ask them during the show.
After Raising $200M More, Airbnb Built A Replica Of The Dr. Strangelove War Room In Its Office
Dec 03, 11:07PM
Airbnb's last round of funding totaled $200 million, bringing its total funding to $326 million. The company also has a new office that includes a replica of the war room from the film Dr. Strangelove. A profile of its digs in Modern Luxury's SanFrancisco magazine documented the room, essentially an aggrandized meeting space, along with the new office's glut of themed rooms, including “a Milanese one-bedroom that features lavender toile wallpaper, a flat-screen TV, and a dining table seating eight.” Sure. As Valleywag notes, the Room of War has its own Foursquare check-in point! It's no secret that there is ample cash slopping around the San Francisco-area technology industry. One excess leads to another, and so while Airbnb is certainly a serious service (I used it this weekend to rent a cabin for a wedding I'm going to, kicking $55 to the company in fees as part of the process), it also managed to build the replica. TechCrunch's own Matt Burns thinks that the war room is “rad.” Is Airbnb alone in its pursuit of whimsical office space? Of course not. Google's Googleplex has been around for ages, a visit to Yahoo will likely include your sitting in a ridiculous oversized purple chair, and Snapchat's first office was Jim Morrison's old house. In this regard Microsoft stands out as a square, which probably isn't much of a surprise. Of course nothing is new, especially this sort of risible extravagance. TechCrunch's Alexia Tsotsis reported in 2010 that Xobni was spending to have a large mural (with a “Seuss-ian feel”!) painted in its office. Xobni raised $41.8 million before selling to Yahoo for a paltry $48 million in cash. So the mural didn't help it become a real business. Keeping your employees happy is a good thing. The bacon at Dropbox is great, for example. Instacart's themed new office party the other week was a good time. I think I took my shirt off on the roof at some point while getting my friend to bring more bourbon up to the outdoor deck. But at what point are companies just throwing money around for fun and calling it Culture? Twitter's office deer were all right, I guess. Author's note: Originally, this post indicated that Airbnb's most recent round of funding was in fact a bit more recent than it actually was. This is has been corrected.Apple, PrimeSense And Perceptive Computing Or: Why Your Phone Will See In 3D
Dec 03, 11:01PM
Last month Apple confirmed the acquisition of Israeli motion-sensing company PrimeSense. Initial thoughts turned towards applications in the Apple TV set-top box, but other reports that Apple was interested in its 'mapping' capabilities as well. After some digging and asking around, it seems like there might be more than meets the eye with this particular acquisition. Apple could very well be interested in incorporating PrimeSense technology into its TV offerings, in order to recognize gestures for interaction. But when Apple purchases companies it often has both short and long-term goals in mind for their technology. The purchase of Authentec and its touch identification technology in 2012 is an example of Apple bringing acquired technology to market after a period of acceleration and refinement. Something similar could be in the works for PrimeSense. Specifically, we're hearing from our sources that Apple was likely interested in a new mobile chipset PrimeSense was developing that would eventually be suited for devices like iPhones and iPads. These chips and accompanying sensor and software tech could be used for a variety of purposes like identity recognition and indoor space mapping. But in order to understand where Apple is coming from and where this tech might be going in the future, we have to chat for a minute about perceptive computing. A Brief Primer On Perceptive Computing Perceptive, or 'perceptual' computing is a relatively new field that's all about capturing and analyzing data with sensors and visualization engines like cameras and infrared light. The purpose is to create a computer simulation that mimics human insight or intuition in a variety of areas - one of which is visualizing a three-dimensional space in a way that's impossible for traditional cameras. This field of study is related to natural user interfaces, which will allow humans to interact with computers in a more human way. The field is actually quite a bit broader than this, but those are the components of it that are important to us. One of the primary proponents of this kind if perceptive computing has been Intel, who has an entire group devoted to exploring this kind of computer visualization to make computers 'aware' of their surroundings. The purpose? To enable something called 'intent-based computing'. Through a combination of voice, facial recognition, gesture recognition and awareness of signals like depth and 3D space, perceptive computing will allow us to interact with computers in a wayInstagram Blocks Competitor Mobli From Its API
Dec 03, 10:14PM
The relationship between Instagram and competitor Mobli, a photo- and video-sharing app out of Israel, has been a rocky one. Today Instagram blocked Mobli's access to the Instagram API, effectively making users choose between the two.Biba Adds A Desktop Version To Its Mobile-First Internet Conferencing Service
Dec 03, 10:08PM
Biba, an Internet conferencing startup that came out of stealth last spring, has launched a new desktop app, screen sharing capability and HD audio. The service, designed originally to be used on iOS and Android operating systems, is now available for Mac and Windows machines.The New Just.me Wins Auction For The Old Just.me's Assets
Dec 03, 9:14PM
Mobile messaging startup Just.me announced a couple of weeks ago that its assets were being auctioned off. Now it looks like the auction is over. The winner? Just.me. Well, technically it's "Just.me 2014 Inc.," but founder Keith Teare (who also co-founded TechCrunch) said the new company's goal is to continue the same work: "And from a user point of view, we hope not to skip a beat."Google Wallet Cards Arriving Now, But Consumer Benefits Remain Unclear
Dec 03, 8:45PM
Those who signed up for the new Google Wallet debit card at the end of November are now receiving their cards in the mail, following the Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S. This MasterCard-powered prepaid debit card allows you to link your online Google Wallet balance to a real, plastic card you can use at point-of-sale, at ATMs, or anywhere else a MasterCard is accepted, stateside.House Approves Plastic Gun Ban, But Fails To Update Law For 3D Weapons
Dec 03, 8:35PM
The most unproductive Congress in history could not manage to update a ban on plastic guns for the era of 3D printed weapons. Today, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to extend the Undetectable Firearms Act but didn't amend the law to require permanent metal inserts. As the law stands, gun manufactures abide by an honors system that they will promise to keep enough metal in a weapon to set off alarms. “The House bill is better than nothing, but it's not good enough,” said New York Senator Chuck Schumer. “We absolutely must close the loophole that allows anyone to legally make a gun that could be rendered invisible by the easy removal of its metal part. Under current law, it is legal to make a plastic gun so long as it has some metal in it, even if it is easily removable. The bill we'll try to pass in the Senate would fix that.” 3D weapons burst onto the scene last year when a libertarian-happy gun-enthusiast produced and distributed blueprints for the first lethal homemade plastic firearm. Since that time, both the Federal government and New Zealand party monster/pirated software mogul, Kim Dotcom, banned the distribution of the blueprints. It's difficult to know how much the law can stop blueprints that require a permanent metal insert. Even after the bans, the software was still widely available on the Internet. Republicans also blame Democrats for failing to cooperate on a longer-term extension of the law. “The (Democratic) majority is playing politics with public safety,” said Republican Chuck Grassley. (For those paying attention, this bill is Chuck v. Chuck.) The bill is now off to the Senate.Paid Game Downloads Spike 34% On The Windows Store In November, But Microsoft Obscures Other Data Points
Dec 03, 8:24PM
In November, paid downloads of games on the Windows Store grew 34.12 percent, while free game downloads grew a more modest 13.41 percent. In the month, the Windows Store's assortment of games saw 1,311,209 paid downloads and 16,744,484 free downloads. Microsoft has released a partial dataset for its Windows Store app platform's performance in the month of November. The company previously reported download rates concerning all app categories, for both free and paid applications. However, for the month of November, the company did not. This is annoying, and I've asked Microsoft why certain – seemingly random – app categories are now not displayed. In some cases you are provided the following response where the graph should appear: “Due to privacy issues, we are unable to show the reference curve.” In general, categories that are not displayed relate to paid download rates in less popular categories, such as “Books and Reference.” In October, that category sold a mere 31,240 units. However, applications marked as “Social” that were free are also currently unreported by the company. In October, free social apps moved over 4.3 million units. The games data is interesting, as paid game downloads in November (1.31 million) essentially matched all paid downloads on the Windows Store in October (1.35 million). In October, games made up 72.12 percent of all paid downloads. If that ratio persists, we could anticipate paid downloads for November to total 1.82 million on the Windows Store. However, I don't think the paid download curve was as strong in other app categories in aggregate than it was in games for the month, after observing the partial dataset. Still, 1.31 million paid game downloads, and almost 17 million free game downloads means that Microsoft did manage to grow its largest application category by a firm percentage in the month. That's good. What could be driving the growth in game downloads? In November, Microsoft announced that more than 1,000 games had been brought to the Windows 8.x platform by way of its support for the Unity engine. Those titles are presumably behind at least part of the gains. That's actually decent for Microsoft as it means that its developer outreach efforts to drive new titles is connecting with consumers. The good news, however, is incremental and should be kept in the following perspective: While Microsoft has managed to grow its download rates, its total downloads remain utterly minute compared to the iOS andWindows 8.1 Surpasses Windows Vista Among Steam Users, Drives Windows 8.x Over The 18% Mark
Dec 03, 6:40PM
The Windows 8.x family of operating systems had a rough November, but among gamers the recently released Windows 8.1 is performing decently. In November, gamers using the Steam platform sent Windows 8.1's market share to 6.34 percent, up 4.49 percent in the month.Chrome Beta Gets New Tools For Mobile Development With Better Viewport Emulation, Screencast-Enabled Remote Debugging
Dec 03, 6:35PM
With the launch of the latest Chrome beta this morning, Google introduced a number of new tools for mobile developers that should make it a bit easier for them to test their mobile web apps right from the desktop. The beta channel for desktop and Android now allows developers to debug their apps using an improved viewport emulation to model mobile devices, screens and touch events as well as screencast-enabled remote debugging. Until now, developers had to go through quite a few steps and use an extension or drop down to the command line to start debugging on a connected device. Now, Mac users can just plug in a device over USB, and the Chrome Beta will natively support remote debugging. Any instance of Chrome or the Chrome-powered WebView on the device will be available on the desktop and all your keyboard and mouse events are automatically sent to the device. Windows users will have to install a device driver to enable this feature. With the improved viewport emulation, Google says, developers will have ”full control of the emulation parameters, such as screen resolution, touch emulation, devicePixelRatio, user agent, sensors and many more.” The page will run through the same mobile viewporting code as in mobile Chrome to help developers get accurate results on their desktop. If you really love your Chrome DevTools and have 25 minutes to spare, also take a look at Paul Irish's talk at the Chrome Dev Summit last month, which covers these new features in more detail.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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