Vator Box on Hollywood startups, mobile ad networks

Bambi Francisco Roizen · June 22, 2008 · Short URL: https://vator.tv/n/2ab

Can startups with Hollywood celebrities draw in venture investors as easily as they can draw an audience? Not exactly. The celebrity can get a company so far. It's the site's raison d'etre that determines whether it's one that can generate venture returns. And, if people are already accessing full Web pages on mobile phones, is it too risky for companies to build "bridging" technologies to get videos on mobile gadgets today? Those are questions we explore in this week's Vator Box. In this episode, Tim Chang, venture partner at Norwest Venture Partners and last week's VB guest host, joins Ezra Roizen (Vator Box regular) and I, as we look at WeMix.com and Transpera. The bottom line is both Ezra and Tim said that Transpera was more likely to generate venture returns over WeMix. Both also had some good insights and advice for WeMix, including a shared view that the company needed more "focus."

We started with WeMix, a MySpace/YouTube for musicians site founded by Ludacris, a three-time Grammy Award rapper and actor, and Chaka Zulu, his manager. Just like Ibeatyou, a repository of competitions, and DanceJam, WeMix tries to mash up celebrity with the average Joe. On WeMix, you can feel close to Ludacris by having your own tunes next to his. If you're good enough, you might make "Luda's picks" - the rap artist's equivalent to making Oprah's book list. You can also win the chance to jam with Ludacris; On Ibeatyou, you can have your photos next to stars like Jessica Alba, and you can compete against her in staring, no blinking competitions; On DanceJam, you can feel close to co-founder MC Hammer, whose profile page is right on the homepage, waiting to greet you. (Note: Seems strange that Hammer's profile has only been viewed 2,020 times as of this post.) 

The use of celebrities is a good launch pad, both Tim and Ezra agree. "What they're doing cleverly is using celebrities as an aspirational point," he said. Tim added: "It does tap into that need for audience and aspiring creators to hook up with somebody like Ludacris for that shot at fame."

The site definitely underscores the breaking down of the walls between audience and artist. It also underscores the movement to find talent across verticals. The challenge for WeMix, however, was whether it was a site focused purely as a sourcing tool for Ludacris to find new talent, or whether it was a lifestyle site. If it turns out to be the latter, Tim said he'd see it as a larger opportunity. 

We then looked at Transpera, a company that allows publishers to distribute their video on mobile phones and earn advertising from a mobile audience. It was clear we all liked the company's value proposition given the difficulties around delivering video to the phone, while at the same time the demand for mobile content is rising. Tim also gave CEO Frank Barbieri a thumbs up for attracting a solid management team.

We all agreed, however, that the challenge for Transpera is fighting against swiftly changing mobile technologies. You don't want to waste precious resources building an interim mobile technology if next year anyone may be able to watch video straight from their mobile browser. Of course, Frank knows that. That's why he's building a mobile advertising network. To this end, if Transpera is using its short-term technology advantage to bridge to a long-term business defensibility, then it's got a good model and plan.

(Note: We're not experts. We're here to start a dialogue and help others understand these businesses. We welcome your comments. And, if you would like us to discuss a startup, feel free to nominate them by commenting here.)

 

 

 

 

 

Image Description

Bambi Francisco Roizen

Founder and CEO of Vator, a media and research firm for entrepreneurs and investors; Managing Director of Vator Health Fund; Co-Founder of Invent Health; Author and award-winning journalist.

All author posts

Support VatorNews by Donating

Read more from our "Vator Box" series

More episodes

Related Companies, Investors, and Entrepreneurs

WeMix.com

Startup/Business

Joined Vator on

WeMix is a new media company founded in 2007 as a joint venture between Disturbing Tha Peace Entertainment and MegaMobile TV.

How did WeMix get started? Matt Apfel, a reality TV producer, creative executive, and founder of MegaMobile TV, had an idea for a show about mashups between fans and rock stars. He sat down with Ludacris and DTP CEO Chaka Zulu and discovered that they wanted to do something similar.

Blessed with a group of forward-thinking angel investors, we've built WeMix to be a better way for the world to share and create original music. Together.

It's a simple deal: you sign up, create your page, upload your original songs, beats, vocals, riffs, and more. As a member you can collaborate on songs, offer feedback, and share ideas for new music with others. Most importantly you can vote for your favorite songs.

The top performers get a shot to turn their demos into real records—by collaborating with star musicians like Luda and with the entire WeMix community. And we'll put the whole thing on TV.

We hope you're as fired up about WeMix as we are.


Transpera

Startup/Business

Joined Vator on

Transpera helps online video publishers create mobile video channels and generate new revenue. Truly personal mobile video is now a reality. With Transpera’s Bridge System, users program their own channels, enjoy deep integration with their favorite online video sites and share those experiences with friends and family. On-line Video Publishers We provide an easy way to add a rich mobile experience for your users, and in doing so, we extend your brand to mobile while generating new, highly targeted mobile advertising inventory and subscription content services. Mobile Operators We provide easy ways to package and aggregate online video companies on deck to generate new value-added data services and subscription opportunities. Advertisers We provide high value reach to lucrative mobile audiences with positive and compelling inventory that consumers repeatedly use and distribute to their friends, family, and colleagues.