What you need to know - Thursday 01/20/11

Ronny Kerr · January 20, 2011 · Short URL: https://vator.tv/n/161c

Facebook launches app for feature phones; Kabam raises $30 million to take on Zynga

Adteractive, an online advertising company, raised $5.1 million in funding, according to an SEC filing.

Q&A service ChaCha closed $3 million of additional funding including $900,000 of outstanding warrants from new investor Qualcomm Ventures, extending the company's $20 million round from October 2010.

CloudTalk, a free text and voice messaging service, raised $3.8 million in equity and $1.2 million in debt, options, warrants or other securities, according to two SEC filings.

Amazon acquired LoveFilm, a Europe-based movie subscription service, for an undisclosed sum. (Estimates say $200 million.)

Facebook announced that the social network’s mobile app will now be available on over 2,500 feature phones from Nokia, Sony Ericsson, LG and other manufacturers. 

FanBridge, a startup that helps everyone from rock groups to businesses manage their fan relationships, made two big announcements this week: the closing of a $2 million Series A round of financing and the acquisition of Damntheradio.

Kabam, a developer of massively multiplayer social games, raised a $30 million Series C funding round led by Redpoint Ventures and Intel Capital, with participation from original investor Canaan Partners.

 

India-based advertising network Komli Media raised $15 million in funding led by Norwest Venture Partners (NVP), with participation from existing investors Nexus Venture Partners and Helion Venture Partners. 

 LawPivot, a Q&A site focusing on legal questions secured $600,000 in venture financing from Google Ventures, and high-profile angels, including David Tisch from TechStars and Richard Chen, founder of AngelPad. 

As of Wednesday evening, LivingSocial had sold more than one million deals for $10 off of a $20 Amazon gift card—and that was only 12 hours into the promotion, with another 12 hours to go.

Energy efficiency company Scientific Conservation Inc. closed a $15.65 million Series B round led by Barry Schuler, Managing Director of DFJ Growth Fund, with help from DFJ Ventures and the Westly Group.

A survey of 1,800 TV watchers released by SideReel reveals that people are less concerned with checking in and sharing their TV watching habits than they are with just…watching TV

Today's entrepreneur is Arik Waldman, founder and CEO of TekTrak. Like many innovators, Arik compares entrepreneurship to a roller coaster.

vChatter, a Facebook application and standalone site that lets you video chat with friends and strangers, raised an additional $350,000 in funding from a group of angel investors led by Dave Kennedy. 

Support VatorNews by Donating

Read more from our "Trends and news" series

More episodes

Related Companies, Investors, and Entrepreneurs

SideReel, a division of Rovi

Startup/Business

Joined Vator on

SideReel makes it easy to track shows you've watched and want to watch, get new episodes as soon as they become available, and share your favorite shows with friends. Get over 24,000 shows, 530,000 episodes and the latest community news, reviews and gossip in one place. If it's online, it's on SideReel.

Law Pivot Inc.

Startup/Business

Joined Vator on

 

LawPivot (http://www.lawpivot.com) is a legal Q&A website that enables companies, especially startups, to confidentially receive crowdsourced legal answers from highly qualified lawyers for a fraction of the cost. Additionally, the site allows lawyers to market their legal services by sharing expert advice and engaging in discussions. 
 
The company’s Q&A technology utilizes a personalized search algorithm to provide companies relevant lawyers on LawPivot to provide answers to their specific legal questions. LawPivot eases the burden on companies in finding answers to their legal questions in an easy and affordable way.
 
Headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, LawPivot is funded by Google Ventures and prominent angel investors.  To request a free invitation to use LawPivot, please visit www.lawpivot.com.

 

vChatter, Inc.

Startup/Business

Joined Vator on

Launched on May 20, 2010 vChatter is already the top video chat application on Facebook. vChatter allows you to connect with friends or discover new friendships all over the world.

TekTrak

Startup/Business

Joined Vator on

TekTrak is the team behind innovative mobile security software that protects your phone and the valuable data stored within. By harnessing the powerful Assisted GPS hardware integrated in smartphones, TekTrak is insuring no one ever loses their phone and privacy again. What started out as frustrating experience of losing a phone with pictures and data, has now become a mobile tracking and security business. Our security application allows users to remotely locate their phone, lock it, send a message, set off an audible alarm, and remotely wipe the data from the device. 

TekTrak is currently available on iOS and on Samsung Android-based devices, and will be available for other major platrofms within the next year.

54419

Arik Waldman

Joined Vator on

50574

David Tisch

Joined Vator on