Thursday, June 3, 2010

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YouTube Launches Campaign Toolkit For Politicians Top
YouTube has become an integral tool for political campaigns across both national and local levels. And Google moderator has also been used in a variety of ways to host community town hall meetings. Today, Google is launching a 2010 Campaign Toolkit and an upgraded Google Campaign Toolkit. The toolkits aim to provide political candidates with the resources to successfully use both YouTube and other Google products to engage constituents and citizens. On YouTube, campaigns will have access to features like a Politician channel (which allows campaigns to brand their channel and upload longer videos), Google Moderator, and analytics tool YouTube Insight. The toolkit also includes paid advertising campaigns, such as in-stream ads and Promoted Video. The Google toolkit shows how products in the Google Apps family like Docs and Gmail, can keep staff and volunteers connected. The offerings are sure to be particularly useful for politicians and candidates who are running for office in the coming year. Long-winded politicians should love the fact that video time limits are longer than normal, and they can run the same 15-second and 30-second TV ad spots in YouTube. President Obama notably used YouTube for both his campaign efforts and now within the White House. The White House also uses Google Moderator and App Engine. CrunchBase Information YouTube Information provided by CrunchBase
 
Spotify Already Has 30,000 U.S. Users – So Why The Launch Delay? Top
European music startup Spotify has all its "ducks lined up" for a U.S. launch, we've heard from multiple sources. It has servers ready to go in the US and, crucially, users already there, even though it has not yet officially launched. It fact it has 30,000 users in the U.S., according to the chatter coming out of the Stockholm tech scene where the company has its main development arm. But these users have been told to keep quiet. So why isn't Spotify launching in the U.S. right now?
 
MasterCard Takes On PayPal With MoneySend iPhone App Top
MasterCard is taking on PayPal with a new app for the iPhone and iPad users, called MoneySend . The free app allows anyone to transfer money to another account in the United States. MoneySend, which is partly powered by Obopay, allows users in the U.S. to send or request money via an iPhone app through banks and credit unions. Senders and receivers can either use an existing MasterCard account or a bank account. Users can also create a virtual prepaid account through Bancorp Bank that is linked to an existing MasterCard credit card or checking account. The user designates an account for the MoneySend transaction, and then users can manage and trigger the exchanges through the app. Users who transfer money will incur a transaction fee and recipients don’t face any additional fees. Of course, there are security concerns with storing financial information on a device or app, but MasterCard assures that personal and financial information is never stored on the iPhone or iPad. This is the second instance of MasterCard encroaching on PayPal’s territory over the past week. Last week, MasterCard announced a definitive plan to open up its credit cards payments platform to developers to build innovative online and mobile apps. This has been the territory that PayPal has basked in, thanks to a much hyped launch of its API, PayPal X. Clearly MasterCard is making a big push to get into the mobile payments space; but PayPal is a tough competitor with massive reach. It should be interesting to see if MasterCard can compete with PayPal. CrunchBase Information PayPal Information provided by CrunchBase
 
MyPunchbowl Makes Online Invitations Look Like Fine Stationery Top
While the design of online invitations has evolved since Evite first launched nearly ten years ago , these invitations still don’t capture the same quality as fine stationery. Until now. MyPunchbowl, a start to finish party planning site, is unveiling a new Digital Invitation Studio that helps you create online invites and e-cards that look and feel like you created customized stationery from a store. The startup hasn’t opened the site up yet (it is expected to be rolled out to the public sometime over the summer), here’s a special preview site for TechCrunch readers. MyPunchbowl Digital Invitation Studio offers hundreds of stylish and modern invitations and save the dates, each with companion customizable envelopes in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors. You can add envelope liners, customized postage stamps, and personal photos. The result is a sleek custom online invitation with a matching envelope that replicates the act of opening a traditional paper invitation. Invitations can be emailed and guests can RSVP directly from the online invite. The studio also includes a number of compelling new features including suggestions for wording your invitation and the ability to upload and re-size multiple photos to your invitation. Powered by Flash, the technology is easy to use and intuitive. The startup already had a compelling e-card creator , but this offering is impressive. And free. MyPunchbowl’s platform also provides tools that let you find supplies, organize an after party and even set a date, via an algorithm that recommends the best date for your party. The site also allows you to set up gift registries, save-the-dates, message boards, integrate Google Maps' to display the location, and share comments, photos, and videos. Launched in 2007, MyPunchbowl has turned into a all-in-one party planning site in a matter of two years. The site added birthday reminders, ecards, wedding planning tools, and also just acquired a local business directory to boost vendor listings. Competitors to MyPunchbowl include Socializr , Pingg , Someecards, Cocodot , and MySpace, Facebook and Evite. CrunchBase Information MyPunchbowl Information provided by CrunchBase
 
Netvibes Is Prepping An iPad (Web) App, And We Have Some Early Screenshots Top
Netvibes , which has been making start pages more personalized and more ‘real-time’ for users for years now, is working on an iPad application website. The alpha version of the site will be available later today (screenshot below), but users will have to wait a couple of more weeks for the launch of the more polished version (screenshot above). The site you’ll be able to visit later today will not enable people to create or edit Netvibes accounts and won’t allow users to share content via Twitter, Facebook and the like, among other limitations. What both versions will have, is synchronization with the Netvibes desktop version. That means users will be able to from their desktop or notebook computer to the iPad and continue to consume content, while already read and unread posts will be marked as such on both. Truth be told, I think this iPad-specific site will be appealing to existing users, but there are a bunch of dedicated feed readers out there for the iPad that offer mostly the same, if not a better, experience than what Netvibes will have to offer. Check for example the Pulse iPad app , created by two Stanford grads, that I recently wrote about . I’m also left wondering why Netvibes isn’t looking at creating experiences for iPhone and Android first (they tell me they’ll come, eventually). CrunchBase Information Netvibes iPad Information provided by CrunchBase
 
LeNewz Is A Handy Realtime Coverflow-style iPhone News Reader Top
leNewz , developed by Paris-based Triviumsoft, offers a more visual way of browsing news on the iPhone. A "DemoPit Audience Choice" at the recent GeeknRolla event in London, the app is built on Triviumsoft's ' Eaagle ' text mining and mapping technologies to deliver a real time keyword map of the most important topics in each of six news categories: Sports, Economy, Politics, Life, Technology and Celebrities.
 
Want To Advertise On Spotify? BigAudioAds May Be The Answer Top
Kieron Donoghue, the guy behind ShareMyPlaylists , appears to be riding the Spotify wave again. Today he launches BigAudioAds.com , a service designed to make it easier to produce a professional sounding audio ad ready for 'broadcast' on ad-supported music streaming services such as Spotify and the UK's We7 . Although, of course, the resulting ads can be placed anywhere. Right now Spotify is available in Sweden, Norway, Finland, the UK, France, Spain and the Netherlands, with a US launch "planned".
 
Mobile Startup Rummble Raises Cash To Boost Product, Team Top
Rummble has raised $800k from m8 Capital . The social mobile location startup will use the new funding to further develop its recommendation engine for "finding places nearby", focusing in particular on User Experience. The round follows on from Rummble's previous angel investment. Notably, it's also the first investment of London-based m8 Capital, a majority-owned affiliate of AGC Equity Partners, which is targeting mobile startups and technology. As a result, m8's Joe Kim will be joining Rummble's board as Chairman.
 
Former Macromedia CEO And Adobe Board Member Rob Burgess Joins Syncapse Board Top
Social technology startup Syncapse this morning announced a big score with the appointment of Rob Burgess to the company's Board of Directors. Burgess was Chairman and CEO of Macromedia from 1996–2005, when Adobe Systems acquired the company for approximately $4 billion. He currently also sits on Adobe’s board. Burgess joins Ian Giffen, Chairman of The Descartes Systems Group, and a former board member of Macromedia, on Syncapse's inaugural Board of Directors. Giffen's appointment was announced earlier this month together with a round of private equity funding to the tune of $3.3 million . The company offers community building, technology solutions, and digital measurement products. Founded by entrepreneur Michael Scissons in 2007, Syncapse has offices in Toronto, New York, London and Portland. Previously, Scissons served as the Canadian Director of Facebook media sales within the Interpublic network where he worked with companies to integrate their marketing into Facebook starting in early 2006. CrunchBase Information Syncapse Information provided by CrunchBase
 
Thomson Reuters Acquires Compliance Software Company Complinet Top
Thomson Reuters is acquiring compliance and risk software company Complinet . Terms of the deal, which is expected to close in the second quarter of 2010, were not disclosed. Complinet’s technology helps companies in the financial services industry handle governance, risk and compliance. In an age where the sector is being regulated more than ever, Complinet helps these institutions navigate regulations, risk and compliance. Of course, since Thomson Reuters caters to the financial services industry, Complinet’s software will be used to offer clients an option to manage compliance. Thomson Reuters also recently bought analytics company DiscoveryLogic and acquired Breakingviews, a site that provided commentary on UK and European breaking financial news. Thomson was rumored to have paid close to $18 million in cash for the site. CrunchBase Information Thomson Reuters Information provided by CrunchBase
 
TechStars Boston Graduates Ten New Startups In 2010 Top
Editor's note : The following report comes from Don Dodge, who blogs at Don Dodge on The Next Big Thing and is a Developer Advocate for Google. TechStars is a seed accelerator program that selects about ten companies and provides funding of $18,000 per team, as well as support and mentorship. Dodge covered the last Boston TechStars class in September, 2009. TechStars has now been operating for four years. According to results data that TechStars has published, six of the first twenty companies to go through the program have been acquired by larger companies, and about 70% of its companies have been funded and/or are now profitable. This week, TechStars debuted ten new startups from the second Boston class. The teams presented on Tuesday to about 250 VCs and angel investors for the first time. These companies are about three months old and have two or three founder employees. Don was in attendance and these are his notes on the startups that presented. Just nine months ago, I attended the inaugural Boston TechStars demo day where companies such as oneforty and Localytics presented. Since that time, TechStars has shifted the Boston program to operate in the spring instead of the summer, so ten new companies presented. Below is a summary of each one. Mogotest is a front-end testing tool to help companies ensure that their web sites render properly across various web browsers and platforms. MogoTest can spider your web site or test individual pages to help you spot browser inconsistencies. The company demoed a very easy to use comparison tool that visually puts two browsers side by side so you can quickly spot inconsistencies between various browsers. It works with all browsers and all platforms including mobile browsers. Monkey Analytics powers mathematics and data analysis in the cloud by providing on-demand computing resources, analysis tools, and a socially driven marketplace for analysts, algorithms, and data. Today, complex math and data analysis is commonly done in applications such as Matlab and R. Monkey Analytics is bringing those sorts of analysis tools to a cloud based system so that it can be accessed by anyone from anywhere with at scale and on demand. Marginize augments pages on the web with an independent space owned by the visitors where they can meet each other and interact freely. For example, you can see what people are saying about the Marginize homepage here . Marginize cleverly makes use of existing Twitter content about each page, and allows visitors to "check in" to the page and comment. The most active community member becomes the “curator” for that site, and other recently active users are shown after they check in, hinting at possible game dynamics to come in the future. Investor Dharmesh Shah agreed to fund the company on the spot. Appswell is a mobile crowd sourcing system that allows people, companies, and brands to harness the wisdom of crowds. Appswell is their own first client of the platform, with a crowdsourced contest for iPhone app ideas and has redeployed the platform to power Brightidea Mobile. Appswell is now working with interactive agencies to offer turnkey crowdsourcing solutions for brand advertising campaigns, which can be launched quickly and cost effectively. Loudcaster lets anyone create interactive online radio stations quickly and easily. Their model is to sell Internet broadcasting tools to DJs and to generate revenue by aggregating their audiences and inserting advertising. Loudcaster has been running a stealthy limited beta, working with 100 DJ’s, and there are 200 more waiting to use the product. The company plans to officially open to more DJ’s by June 30th. SocialSci helps academic and professional researchers source and survey participants for their scientific studies. Today, universities and researchers find study participants offline and they’re overpaying to do so. SocialSci helps source them more efficiently online, and delivers the research studies to them through their own integrated surveying tools which are designed to be secure and private. Currently, SocialSci is tracking over $5 million being paid out by live research studies and is operating a private beta of their online research platform with several major universities. Sparkcloud introduces you to interesting people who are around you in realtime. The company has several early applications to demonstrate how developers can leverage Sparkcloud to more easily create their own real-world social applications ranging from urban gaming to location-based dating. SparkCloud will introduce you to 12 new people every day based on profiles, preferences, and social data. StarStreet is a sports stock market that allows sports fans to make real money based on their skill in trading players and their knowledge of sports. It works similar to the real stock market. You buy shares in a professional sports player. If the player does well the value of the stock theoretically goes up as more fans want to own that stock. You sell your shares and make money. As we know from the real stock market, you can also lose money. TutorialTab lets non-developers add interactive help systems that make web sites easier to learn. For example if you hover your cursor over a text input field it will pop up a text box that explains what you should enter in that field. TutorialTab makes it easy for web sites to create hands-on tutorials to guide their users. They are currently pre-launch, but you can see a preview video on their site. UserMojo is an emotion analytics platform that measures the quality of user experience to help site owners understand not just what their users are doing, but also why they’re doing it. The company records emotions from users via a simple feedback mechanism, and then allows customers to see heat maps of emotional response to various pages over time and to understand what’s driving actual user behavior. When users hover over any area of a web page they are presented with emoticons that relate to how they feel about that content. The web site owner can see the results visually on the page. CrunchBase Information TechStars Information provided by CrunchBase
 
Flash Sales Site HauteLook Raises $31 Million Top
Flash sales site HauteLook has raised $31 million in Series C funding, led by Insight Venture Partners . The startup previously raised $10 million in Series B funding last year. Thanks to the immense popularity of members-only, online sample sales, HauteLook has grown to 2.5 million members since launching in 2007. The site has partnered with more than 1,000 brands to date, offering more than 2,500 sale events in women's fashion, men's fashion, accessories, kids' clothing and toys, home and beauty. The basic idea behind the online sample sale model is this: big designers, such as Marc Jacobs or Versace, place excess inventory on a sale site at 50 to 70 percent discounts over a several day period. The sales are private, available only to members, with upcoming sales from brands announced via emails. Products include clothing for men, women and children as well as jewelry, handbags and home accessories. You can get invites from other members or request invites via the site. The new funding will be used toward member acquisition strategy and to expand to new categories such as gourmet food, wine, and other services. The company is also looking to boots its social media and mobile offerings. The flash sales space is definitely competitive; and the amount raised isn’t surprised The amount raised isn’t surprising considering that similar startups in the online sample sales space like Gilt Groupe, and Ideeli are all raising huge amounts of money, growing their user base at a rapid pace and turning a strong profit. In fact, Gilt just raised $35 million in funding a few weeks ago. VC firm Kleiner Perkins recently invested in One Kings Lane, an online sample sale site for home decor and accessories, which we wrote about here. The concept has even attracted retail giants like Saks and Neiman Marcus, which are now jumping on the bandwagon to offer their own private sales. CrunchBase Information HauteLook Information provided by CrunchBase
 

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