What you need to know - 03/18/11

Ronny Kerr · March 18, 2011 · Short URL: https://vator.tv/n/1850

Groupon rumored to IPO at $15 to $25 billion; The New York Times to launch paywall

Following its fall announcement that mobile Places users would be rewarded with deals and discounts to the venue they’ve checked in at, Facebook announced this week that it is now rolling out regular (daily?) deals for the everyday user.

Sources who spoke off the record said that Groupon's IPO could happen this year and it will likely go for anything between $15 billion and $25 billion.

Illume Software, developer of a mobile app (iZUP) designed to prevent distracted driving, secured $2.4 million in new funding from the Massachusetts Technology Development Corp. (MTDC) and prominent individual investors. Also participating are previous investors Tower Capital Partners and Rudyard Partners. Illume has raised $6.5 million to date.

Jumio, an online and mobile payment solution, closed a $6.5 million Series A round of funding led by Eduardo Saverin, co-founder of Facebook and private investor.

NavTones, the company that provides celebrity voices for portable GPS devices, added a new voice to its collection: none other than Gary Busey.

The New York Times announced the launch of its new paywall, a digital subscription service that will begin charging users for unlimited access to NYTimes.com and the company's smartphone and tablet apps. VatorNews' Faith Merino discusses why she'll pay for a print newspaper subscription but not a digital subscription.