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Adobe, WPP, Among Companies In Talks To Acquire Indian Social Analytics Startup Simplify360
Feb 01, 10:44AM
Indian digital media circles have been abuzz with rumors of potential targets being looked at in the social media analytics space by Twitter, Adobe and even WPP, the world’s biggest advertising company. The latest to join the list of potential targets is Simplify360, a Bangalore-based social media analytics startup that counts over 100 paying customers including big names such as Yamaha, Revlon, Target and Wipro. I reached out to Bhupendra Khanal, the startup’s CEO, who confirmed ongoing talks for strategic investments with several companies, but declined to elaborate any further. This is what he had to say: “At this stage I cannot accept or decline this news. Several companies have approached for strategic investment or acquisition, and serious talks are on. We will announce if something materializes.” The rumors of Adobe being in talks to acquire Simplify360 were reported by Indian social media blog, Socialsamosa yesterday. Simplify360 is among a growing breed of startups focused on gathering and parsing data from Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms. A recent, notable acquisition in this space was that of Topsy, which was acquired by Apple for over $200 million last year. Simplify360 is similar to Topsy, except that it goes beyond Twitter and crawls through terabytes of data that include Tweets, Facebook posts, etc., to offer customized analytics. Founded in January 2009, Simplify360 has been bootstrapped so far with an undisclosed angel investment from Amvensys Capital in December 2012. The startup has 25 people on its payroll, and it currently sifts through around 5 million posts and tweets every day that generates around 5 terabytes of data every week. Another key differentiator for Simplify360 is that it now offers analytics in over 27 languages and has customers in markets like Korea apart from India, where around one-third of 200 million Internet users are increasingly posting social media conversations in over 30 languages. So why would an Adobe or WPP be interested in this little, unknown startup based in Bangalore? From what I gathered after speaking with several people in companies that could be potential acquirers, converting millions of Tweets and social media posts into real insights is the Holy Grail for marketeers, and tools such as Simplify360 help achieve that. As this blog notes, Adobe’s interest also comes from the fact that it really wants to compete with Salesforce better, especially in the social media analytics space. Both Salesforce and Oracle haveThe Alternative Commerce Recipe
Feb 01, 7:00AM
Alternative Commerce is a piece of cake, right? After all, while big box retailers are suffering, fun things like "the Internet" and "mobile phones" make it easier to sell stuff to customers without the expense of stores and make a bunch of money. Just ask WebVan, Kozmo, eToys.com, or Pets.com. Okay maybe it isn't that easy.Yahoo Could Do Search Because It Needs The Money
Feb 01, 2:27AM
Yahoo could be getting back into the search game. Its long-suffering deal with Microsoft has underperformed, making recent revelations that the company is working on building new search products hardly surprising.Sunrise Calendar Stops Sending iCloud Credentials Back To Their Servers
Feb 01, 1:35AM
The increasingly popular Sunrise calendar app faced a bit of a brouhaha last week, after a couple of well-respected developers (namely, Neven Mrgan and Instapaper creator Marco Arment) pointed out that the application asked the user to punch in their iCloud credentials with little indication of what happened to them next. Given the amount of sensitive data that tends to be transmitted over iCloud (iMessages, backed up photos, email, etc.), such a request was iffy, at best. It’s certainly not the sort of thing you want to become the norm. Making things worse, the company was in turn taking those credentials and transmitting back them to their server (though they note that they were not storing them.) They were sending the credentials in a secure way — but still: if it’s at all avoidable, sending important credentials back to the mothership isn’t good practice. This morning, Sunrise pushed out a patch that makes things a little better. They’ll still need you to punch in your credentials, which is a bummer — but now, at least, they’re handling authentication within the app itself. Instead of sending your username and password back to their servers, they send a unique token that allows them to access your iCloud data without ever sending your actual username/password off of the device. And if you decide that you don’t want Sunrise to be able to access your data? Just change your password, which renders the token useless. It’s not a perfect solution, as it does still require the users to trust a third-party with some pretty precious data. In this case, since Sunrise is now being quite transparent about how they handle the data, that’s fine. But it’s still not something that apps should be getting users comfortable with doing. Until/unless Apple builds in some sort of iCloud permissions dialog that allows for the user to grant a service like Sunrise access to data (sort of like the way Facebook handles Facebook logins within apps), however, this is the safest route they’ve got apart from.. you know, not existing. It’s been just 9 days since concerns about Sunrise’s methodology were raised; good on them for moving quick.
Ask A VC: Manatt's Peter Csathy On The New Golden Age Of Content
Jan 31, 11:30PM
In this week's episode of Ask A VC, Manatt Digital Media Ventures' Peter Csathy joined us in the studio to talk about the return of content, his firm's investment strategy and more.
Airbnb Is Testing Out An Affordable Cleaning Service For Hosts In San Francisco
Jan 31, 10:47PM
Peer-to-peer lodgings marketplace Airbnb has been focused on finding ways that it can help its hosts improve the quality of experience for guests that stay in their homes. As part of this effort, the company is trialing a low-cost cleaning service for some hosts on the platform.Apple Said To Be Focusing On Health With iOS 8 And iWatch, Following Exec Meeting With FDA
Jan 31, 10:39PM
Apple’s plans for iOS 8 focus on redefining health tracking via mobile devices, according to a new report from 9to5Mac, which has a terrific track record when it comes to rumors it has sourced itself. The report details a new marquee application coming in iOS 8 called “Healthbook” that monitors all aspects of health, fitness and workout information, including vitals monitored via the new iWatch, which is said to pack a bevy of sensors and to be “well into development” according to 9to5Mac’s sources. The health monitoring app called “Healthbook” will come pre-installed on iOS 8, which, if true, would be a huge blow to third-party apps including those made by Fitbit, Nike, Runkeeper and Withings just to name a few. It would track and report steps, calories burned, distance walked and more, including weight fluctuations, and blood pressure, hydration levels, heart rate and more. Apple’s focus on health in iOS 8 is given credence by a number of new reports from this week, including the news from the New York Times earlier today that Apple execs met with the FDA late last year to discuss mobile medical applications. Apple also reportedly hired Michael O’Reilly, M.D. away from a position as Chief Medical Officer of Masimo Corporation in July 2013. O’Reilly is an expert in pulse oximetry among other things, which is used to non-invasively take key vitals from a user via optical sensors. 9to5Mac’s report details functionality of the proposed “Healthbook” app, which, as its name suggests, takes a lot of cues from Passbook. It’ll offer swipeable cards for each vital stat it tracks, letting users page through their medical and health information. The report cautions that this functionality could be taken out prior to the final release of iOS 8: With the FDA’s involvement, one concern might be getting the necessary approvals to market the software as a potential medical aid. As for the iWatch, the new report doesn’t add much in terms of firm details, but it does suggest we could see a release before year’s end, and offers that it could feature sensors that provide data to Healthbook. That app could also use existing third-party monitors and devices designed for iOS to source data, however. One more tidbit about the iWatch suggests that maps will be a central feature of the device, and navigation on the wrist is actually a prime potential advantage of smartwatch devicesEuro Secondhand Marketplace Vinted Raises $27M To Take On The Salvation Army
Jan 31, 9:46PM
The clothes may be cheap, but prices for tech companies launching mobile and web-based marketplaces to sell secondhand and consignment clothing keep going up. The latest company trying to get people to pop their tags virtually is Vinted, which raised $27 million in its second institutional financing – one of the largest rounds ever for a Baltic-based startup. Fresh financing from Accel Partners and Insight Venture Partners for the Vilnius-based startup comes after Accel invested $6.6 million into the company just over a year ago to port it from a web-based application to a service primarily for mobile devices… and bring its service to the U.S. Vinted launched in the U.S. in September 2013, after five years spent expanding in Europe, and will use its new cash hoard to develop its business here and add to its 110 employees both in San Francisco and in its Lithuanian headquarters. “We started the company as a project five years ago that was really a hobby project,” said Vinted chief executive Justas Janauskas, in an interview. Initially it was designed to be a website where girls in Vilnius could swap or sell mid-priced clothes from brands like Zara and H&M. But with an early angel investment from Lithuanian serial entrepreneur Mantas Mikuckas, who joined as chief operating officer, the company professionalized and grew its European presence. Vinted operates three different brands internationally: manodrabuziai.lt in Lithuania; kleiderkreisel.de in Germany; and votocvohoz.cz in the Czech Republic, but going forward will consolidate everything under the Vinted label. In the U.S., Vinted is entering a very crowded market. Companies like Twice, which raised $18.5 million earlier this month from Andreessen Horowitz and a host of others; or Poshmark, which raised $12 million in a round led by Menlo Ventures; and thredUP, backed by Highland Capital Partners, Redpoint Ventures, and Trinity Ventures, are also competing in the category. Unlike Twice, which operates as a virtual storefront for used clothes, housing them at its own facilities and shipping them to buyers, Vinted is more of a peer to peer marketplace and social network, according to its CEO. Globally, online consignment and secondhand stores have raised at least $109.2 million in financing, according to data from CrunchBase. So far, the company has 3 million members around the world and has had 14 million listings managed from offices in San Francisco, Paris, Munich, Warsaw, Prague, and Vilnius, on an app available on both iOS and Android. The move toKeen On… Hacking Gender: How Women In Silicon Valley Can Become Jane Bond
Jan 31, 9:36PM
Despite incremental improvements, the gender bias issue in Silicon Valley remains an important one. Last month, in response to the furor over an interview about female hackers, Paul Graham announced a conference dedicated to female founders. But I beat Graham to it, producing a sold-out event last week at the San Francisco office of BloombergBETA entitled Hacking Gender.Coupons.com Files For $100M IPO On The NYSE, Trading As Coup
Jan 31, 9:19PM
The march of the 2014 initial public offerings commences, with the latest one of the oldest brands on the internet. Coupons.com has just filed S-1 papers with the SEC for an IPO on the NYSE, trading under the name COUP, and raising $100 million.Gillmor Gang Live 01.31.14 (TCTV)
Jan 31, 9:09PM
Gillmor Gang - Robert Scoble, John Taschek, Kevin Marks, Keith Teare, and Steve Gillmor. Live recording session has concluded for today. Have you found us on Facebook yet? facebook.com/GillmorGangBrightFunnel Raises Funding To Build Smarter Marketing Predictions
Jan 31, 8:57PM
Marketing startup BrightFunnel is announcing that it has raised a small "advisory round" of slightly less than $1 million from some big-name investors. Co-founder and CEO Nadim Hossain served most recently as the vice president of marketing at PowerReviews (which was acquired by Bazaarvoice). In that role, and in other jobs as a marketing executive, Hossain said that with his background in economics and econometrics he expected to be "swimming in CMO insights," but that turned out not to be the case.This Week On The TC Gadgets Podcast: Facebook Paper, Lenovo-Moto, Carbon 3D Printing, And Coffee!
Jan 31, 8:00PM
Looking for a way to get through Friday? Here you go. Facebook launched a news reader app called Paper. (Teens will love it.) And Google sold Motorola to Lenovo for $3 billion, which made earnings week interesting. And, in the land of startups, we explore a new Carbon 3D Printer and a Keurig Coffee machine. So you can print yourself a cup-holder, which will store your fresh cup of coffee, as you drive to work on this blessed Friday.Obama Says Intelligence Director Who Fibbed To Congress "Should Have Been More Careful"
Jan 31, 7:41PM
President Obama diplomatically defended embattled Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, who is accused of lying to Congress about the existence of the National Security Agency's spying program.Vector Capital Makes Controlling Investment In CollabNet Developer Platform
Jan 31, 6:58PM
CollabNet is one of the leading agile development platforms in the enterprise and the company behind the Subversion version control software. It has millions of users on its platform, which launched back in 1999. Today, Vector Capital is making a controlling investment in the company as part of a concurrent equity round that includes another, undisclosed investor. The company did not disclose the size of the round, but Vector Capital currently manages over $2 billion in equity capital and typically invests from $100 million to $300 million in each of its portfolio companies. Vector Capital may not be a household name, but the company has previously invested in companies like Corel, LANDesk, RealNetworks, Register.com and WinZip. The firm says it usually invests in companies with at least $100 million in revenue. As Vector Capital partner Rob Amen told me, CollabNet is exactly the kind of company the firm likes to invest in. “CollabNet is a gem,” he told me. “It is rare, as a technology investor, to get an opportunity like this. It’s A+ technology and an incredible management team with a ton of experience. All it needs is a partner with deep pockets that can help it grow.” As part of this investment, Amen will take a seat on CollabNet’s board. Last year, CollabNet raised a $2.5 million debt round, which today’s round will wipe out. The company raised most of its funding in its early years, with an $11 million round in 2002 and a $9.5 million Series B in 2005. Previous investors include Benchmark, Norwest Venture Partners and Intel Capital. According to CollabNet CEO Bill Portelli, the 300-person company used this funding to grow through the recession but the industry wasn’t quite ready for its solutions yet. While CollabNet was among the first companies to enable software development in the cloud, enterprises weren’t quite ready for this concept. It’s only now, in his view, that enterprises are starting to catch up with CollabNet’s vision and are starting to adopt agile development. “What we are seeing now,” he told me, ” is that the world is moving to a distributed and fragmented development model, with data inside and outside the company. There is an ever-increasing need for developers to use their favorite tools, but enterprises also need transparency into this.” This fragmentation, he also stressed, is leading to integration issues for enterprises. CollabNet’s tools include its set of TeamForge applicationPrevious TechCrunch Battlefield Contestants Have Raised $2.4 Billion. Ready To Apply?
Jan 31, 6:38PM
TechCrunch's Battlefield is a proven springboard for startups destined for great things. Fact. We ran the data and we'll take you through it below. But before we get to that, we're announcing that it's time to apply for the next Battlefield at TechCrunch Disrupt NY, May 5-7. The application deadline is February 20, 2014.Aereo Sells Out Of Capacity In NYC
Jan 31, 6:36PM
Aereo, a TV streaming service looking to change the way we consume media, has just sold out of capacity in New York City. Founder and CEO Chet Kanojia confirmed the news via Twitter. The company launched in 2011 with NYC as a pilot market, and has since expanded to 11 markets total. The service, much to the chagrin of major network broadcasters, acts as a remote, mini antenna, letting subscribers pull OTA TV signals out of the air and stream them live across any internet-connected device. And if that wasn’t enough, users have the option to use Aereo as a remote DVR service for as low as $8 month. That said, Aereo has worked tirelessly to ensure that this type of business is actually legal. In much the same way that it’s legal for an individual to use rabbit ears to access broadcast television, it’s legal for an Aereo user to rent out an individual Aereo antenna and access, or record, TV content. However, a single antenna that sends a signal to multiple, separate users is illegal. In other words, Aereo needs one antenna available for every active user of the service, and at this point, there’s simply not any room left for new users in NYC. Some have misreported that this is a product of power issues, though recent conversations I’ve had with founder Chet Kanojia suggest that Aereo has been trying to build out more capacity to keep up with subscriber growth. For a startup, it’s not a bad problem to have. Though, if the company wants to foster growth in its first, and likely strongest, market, it will need to offer extended capacity as quickly as possible. Broadcasters must be equally displeased by this news, considering that they’ve been bullying Aereo in the courtroom since the service launched. It started with a lawsuit in NY, which migrated to Boston, and again to Utah, until most recently the Supreme Court decided to hear the case and make a final, federal ruling. Based on the track record, I predict Aereo will win in court and will lead the revolution as a stepping stone from bundled TV packages and middle men to an on-demand, TV consumption structure. Here’s Aereo’s official statement on the matter: We’re fortunate that Aereo continues to experience strong growth across all our markets. Our team has been working overtime to add more capacity in our existingTwine Canvas Is Like Tinder But Based On Personality, Not Sex Appeal
Jan 31, 6:35PM
Don't judge a book by its cover. Beauty is only skin deep. It's what's on the inside that counts. These are the mantras of millions of young singles scouring the internet for someone with which to have intercourse, or potentially procreate. But mobile app developer SourceBits has released a new dating app, called Twine Canvas (??), that may be just the ticket.Ouya Updates Hardware With $129 16GB Console, 8GB Edition Remains At $99
Jan 31, 6:30PM
Ouya’s original hardware featured just 8GB of storage onboard, but a temporary Limited Edition all-white version launched during the holidays doubled that to 16GB. Now, the game console startup is making that a permanent feature of its newest hardware, an Ouya console with a solid matte black finish that also offers better Wi-Fi connectivity and a “refined” controller design. The new 16GB version adds $30 to the MSRP of the original, coming in at a total of $129 for the console and one controller. It goes on sale at Ouya.tv, as well as Amazon and Amazon.ca starting immediately, and the original 8GB model will continue to be sold as well at its original $99 price point (which is discounted to $69.99 currently on Amazon.ca) As for what’s been improved about the controller, Ouya says that the joysticks and buttons are “better” and that the controller has less lag time overall. We’ve asked for more specifics around the improved Wi-Fi, but have yet to hear back with any details. The new console also ships with the latest Ouya firmware, which is said to improve all-around performance for the Android-powered hardware. Ouya has faced some challenges lately, including the departure of one of its key founding team members, VP of Product Muffi Ghadiali. The company has not released any sales data recently, so there’s no telling how it’s performing, but the introduction of a new SKU seems a little unusual given the relatively modest nature of the tweaks. Developers on the platform recently shared some numbers regarding their software sales on the console with Gamespot, which could be an indicator of hardware sales strength. Feedback was mixed, but overall the impression given was that sales by no means represent runaway success. Ouya has raised $23.6 million in funding to date, including its initial crowdfunding campaign and a Series A round led by Kleiner Perkins.Investor Reaction To Microsoft's Rumored CEO Choice: We're Fine With That
Jan 31, 6:25PM
Yesterday in after-hours trading, Microsoft picked up a minor gain. The trading period was interesting as news that Microsoft's board was tipped to select its own Satya Nadella as its next CEO had broken.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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