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Caring.com launches; secures $6 million funding

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caring.jpgCaring.com announced the beta availability of its website. Caring.com will offer original “how to” guides, time saving information, access to experts, helpful information and resources, and a community of people in caring situations, to create an unprecedented support resource for the more than 34 million adults who are caring for an aging relative in the United States today.

Caring.com has original content geared towards the most difficult topics researched and managed by people helping their parents – healthcare, financial, legal, housing, and life issues.

The Caring.com founding team includes Steve Fram, Chief Technology Officer, and Jim Scott, Editor-in-Chief. Jim and Steve spent eight years at BabyCenter building its site into the leading destination for new and expectant moms, now in 11 countries around the world. The Caring.com editorial team includes writers who have written for The Wall Street Journal, Parenting, WebMD, and Health Magazine, and an impressive advisory board, including Dr. Peter Pompei of Stanford, Dr. Andy Scharlach of UC Berkeley, and David Solie, author of ”How To Say It to Seniors: Closing the Communication Gap with Our Elders.”

Caring.com has also announced that it has secured $6M in Series A funding from DCM and Split Rock Partners. The funding will support the further development of the Caring.com site, including new features and functionality. Additionally, the financial support from DCM and Split Rock will support the build out of the Caring.com team, including adding to the world class editorial and development teams.

Originally posted on September 27, 2007 @ 6:20 am

Global Grind launches online hip-hop community with funding from Russell Simmons

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globalgrind.jpgGlobal Grind announced the launch of its online destination for the hip-hop community. Global Grind is a unique combination of community and content, bringing users’ information and content relevant to their specific interests.

Global Grind is a next generation start page solution that gives users the ability to aggregate content, wrap community around that content, utilize a proprietary relevance engine that “bubbles up” relevant content based on the activity of the users, and have access to curators who engage and challenge users by promoting blogs, video, music, podcasts, photos, specialist news, MSM news feeds, widgets, and a mix of original and sourced editorial. Global Grind provides a rich and dynamic integration that is poised to be the online cultural epicenter for this generation as it promises to deliver “your web filtered fresh.”

“The hip-hop market is large and diverse – there are more than 24 million people in the U.S. who self-identify with hip-hop and collectively they have spending power of more than $500 billion. Yet, to date, there has been no single online resource for this community that allows them to connect to the depth and breadth of the culture. Global Grind will allow users to pull all the things they see and do online into one place and share it with their peers,” said Navarrow Wright, president and CEO, Global Grind. “With the launch of Global Grind, we are solving and delivering a unified online experience that speaks to this powerful demographic by delivering the freshest content.”

Global Grind has received funding from Accel Partners, a leading Silicon Valley venture capital firm, and Russell Simmons, hip-hop leader and entrepreneur who has raised the profile of hip-hop in every facet of business and media.

Originally posted on September 26, 2007 @ 10:25 am

VSocial gets second-round capital to develop online video services

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vsocial.jpgVSocial, a company that specializes in online video services, has secured second round of financing led by Biltmore Ventures and Consor Capital, its original investor.

The new round of funding will be used to expand development and grow sales and marketing capabilities. VSocial is also adding Howard Lindzon, managing director of Biltmore Ventures, to its board of directors.

“VSocial continues to build momentum for its social media platform, securing customer wins with blue chip companies like UPS, Disney and Fosters, interactive advertising agencies and small-to-medium sized businesses,” said Mark Sigal, chief executive of vSocial. “Locking down this second-round investment is further validation of our efforts to become a major player in the online video industry.”

Originally posted on September 24, 2007 @ 1:59 pm

“You Be The VC” aims to turn start-up dreams to reality

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youbethevc.jpgThe investment firm Bang Ventures has issued an open call to people with great tech business ideas to get a chance to win their own start-up company through You Be The VC, an entrepreneur competition contest. Part “American Idol,” part “The Wisdom of Crowds” and part business incubator, the competition will include judging by experts and an online public vote to choose the creators of the next Google, YouTube or Digg in American technology.

Competition judges will include leaders from some of the sponsor companies such as Deloitte & Touche, one of the big four accounting firms, Vator.tv and Foley & Lardner, a prestigious law firm, who will narrow the field of online applicants. The top 20 finalists will film a video pitch jointly on broadcast television and online video, and the public will vote on three winning companies, who will spend three months building their start-ups in Cambridge, Mass, with a team of expert consultants, advisors programmers and financial backers.

The You Be The VC contest focuses on technologies for Web 2.0, including social networking, advanced search, Enterprise 2.0, advertising and mobile applications. The prize is a complete launch pad for creating a successful start-up: investment capital, office space, programming/web development, legal, accounting and business strategy consultation, and marketing and sales support.

Originally posted on September 25, 2007 @ 9:36 am

PlaySpan Secures $6.5 million funding for in-game commerce network

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playspan.jpgPlaySpan Inc., the first publisher-sponsored in-game-commerce network, announced that it has secured $6.5 million in Series A funding. New York based Easton Capital led the funding round, along with Silicon Valley based Menlo Ventures, South Korea based STIC International and Hong Kong based Novel TMT Ventures.

The announcement solidifies PlaySpan’s position in the online game and media sectors and enables the company to strengthen its position in the rapidly growing virtual goods market. In-game commerce has surpassed the $2 billion mark this year and continues its rapid growth as more publishers adopt micro-transaction based revenue models.

Originally posted on September 21, 2007 @ 12:46 pm