What you need to know - 03/07/11

Ronny Kerr · March 7, 2011 · Short URL: https://vator.tv/n/17d3

AOL closes its acquisition of The Huffington Post; RIM loses its CMO

AdGrok, a Y Combinator-backed startup looking to simplify Internet advertising, raised $470,000 in angel funding from Chris Sacca, Russ Siegelman, Ben Narasin, TriplePoint Capital and Y Combinator.

Crowdgather, a network of community forums, raised $7.85 million.

AOL announced today that it has closed its acquisition of The Huffington Post.

VatorNews' Faith Merino discusses what the New York Times could learn from daily deals and Groupon.

Kiwibox.com, a New York City-based social network focused on old teens and young adults, acquired German photo book community Pixunity.de for an undisclosed amount.

Privali, a private online sales club, agreed to acquire Dress for Less, one of Germany's online clothing and apparel retailers.

Keith Pardy, chief marketing officer for Research in Motion (RIM), is stepping down from his position for “personal reasons,” the company announced late last week. The news comes just weeks before the launch of the BlackBerry Playbook, a new tablet set to compete directly with Apple's iPad.

Sparefoot, an online service that lets consumers compare storage facilities in their area, raised $1.5 million in a funding round led by Silverton Partners and Floodgate, with participation from Austin technology incubator Capital Factory.

Today's featured entrepreneur is Traver Hutchins, CEO and founder of Remedy Health Media and Cornerdrugstore.com.

Also check out a video uploaded over the weekend of the VC debate from the last Vator Splash featuring the following panel participants: Thomas Korte (AngelPad), Tod Francis (Shasta Ventures), David Hornik (August Capital), and Rob Hayes (First Round Capital), participated in our first-ever panel on the changing dynamics of the venture industry. Moderating was Duncan Davidson (Bullpen Capital).

ZoomSafer, provider of risk management software to prevent employee use of mobile phones while driving, raised an additional $1.1 million round of financing from White Birch Capital and SugarOak Holdings

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M&A activity in the warehouse robotic space

Robots are taking over the heavy lifting work inside warehouses

Maven Clinic launches program for members who want to get pregnant without IVF

The company also expanded access to 12 different provider types for male fertility care

Ezra partners with RAYUS Radiology to expand nationally

Ezra's AI cancer screening platform will be available in 150 RAYUS locations

Related Companies, Investors, and Entrepreneurs

Research in Motion (RIM)

Startup/Business

Joined Vator on April 24, 2008

Research In Motion Limited (RIM) is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market. Through the development of integrated hardware, software and services that support multiple wireless network standards, RIM provides platforms and solutions for seamless access to time-sensitive information, including email, phone, text messaging (SMS and MMS), Internet and intranet-based applications. RIM technology also enables a broad array of third-party developers and manufacturers to enhance their products and services with wireless connectivity to data.

RIMs portfolio of award-winning products, services and embedded technologies are used by thousands of organizations around the world and include the BlackBerry® wireless platform, BlackBerry smartphones, software development tools, radio-modems and software/hardware licensing agreements. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. RIM is listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market (Nasdaq: RIMM) and the Toronto Stock Exchange
(TSX: RIM).

August Capital

Angel group/VC

Joined Vator on June 3, 2008

Founded in 1995, August Capital is a leading venture capital firm actively investing in entrepreneurial teams throughout the information technology market spectrum.

AngelPad

Angel group/VC

Joined Vator on November 24, 2010

AngelPad is a mentorship program founded by a team of ex-Googlers to help web-technology startups build better products, attract additional funding and ultimately grow more successful businesses.

Floodgate

Angel group/VC

Joined Vator on May 11, 2010

We’ve developed a new approach to investing in world-changing ideas, which we call the Super Angel Approach. Looking at the world through the eyes of the entrepreneur, we’ve filled a widening gap between Angel investors and venture capital firms. But we help companies with more than just fundraising: we help them discover, refine, evolve, and master the core elements of their businesses so they will be in the best possible position to one day “open the floodgates” to market disruption and dominance.

Some of the world’s most exciting new companies have embraced our approach. If you have a game-changing idea and a passion for building a truly legendary company, contact us.