With summer fast approaching, chances are many people will cram into movie theaters for a couple hours to watch superheroes and spaceships streak across the screen, and drink gallons of sugary beverages. The RunPee app suggests to users the optimal times between explosions and plot points for the resulting dash to the restroom. That may … Continue reading “RunPee App Tells You When It’s Safe to Take Potty Breaks at Movies”
Author: João-Pierre S. Ruth
After more than thirteen years as a business reporter in New Jersey, João-Pierre S. Ruth joined the ranks of Xconomy serving first as a correspondent and then as editor for its New York City branch. Earlier in his career he covered telecom players such as Verizon Wireless, device makers such as Samsung, and developers of organic LED technology such as Universal Display Corp.
João-Pierre earned his bachelor’s in English from Rutgers University.
Shapeways, MakerBot, and Lux Capital Stoke Ambitions for 3-D Printing
Layer by layer, 3-D printing continues to build up its presence as more funding lands in a local player’s pockets. On Tuesday morning, New York’s Shapeways, which makes products on demand with its printers, announced it had raised $30 million in a Series C round led by Andreessen Horowitz. Later that afternoon, Shapeways CEO Peter … Continue reading “Shapeways, MakerBot, and Lux Capital Stoke Ambitions for 3-D Printing”
DuckDuckGo Pushes Its Privacy-Geared Search Engine at Gel Conference
Many search engine providers try to balance the privacy of users with leveraging the wealth of data they can collect—but not the developer of DuckDuckGo. CEO and founder Gabriel Weinberg simply does not want to know what people are looking for on the Web when they use his platform. He spoke in New York about … Continue reading “DuckDuckGo Pushes Its Privacy-Geared Search Engine at Gel Conference”
Roger Ehrenberg to “Unpack” the Founder-Investor Bond at NY Venture Challenge
Want a chance to watch Roger Ehrenberg, managing partner of IA Ventures, pick the brains of Spark Capital’s Bijan Sabet and Tumblr founder David Karp? Join Xconomy this Thursday, April 25, at our “New York’s Venture Challenge” event where Ehrenberg will lead a discussion about what it takes to create the right dynamic to nurture startups … Continue reading “Roger Ehrenberg to “Unpack” the Founder-Investor Bond at NY Venture Challenge”
David Tisch Asks NYU Prez How Schools Can Help Student Entrepreneurs
In a fireside chat, David Tisch, managing founder of early-stage investment fund BoxGroup, asked New York University President John Sexton how universities can be more in line with the needs of students who want to launch startups. Tisch, an NYU alum and former managing director of TechStars NYC, spoke with Sexton last week as part … Continue reading “David Tisch Asks NYU Prez How Schools Can Help Student Entrepreneurs”
Tigerlabs Health Accelerator to Pair Corporate Needs with Startups
Eager to nurture ripe ideas from startups in the healthcare IT sector, Tigerlabs Health accelerator in Princeton, NJ today announced it has launched an additional program to match industry needs with entrepreneurs. New York-Presbyterian Hospital and the Merck Global Health Innovation fund will help choose startups to join a select group within the accelerator—and leverage … Continue reading “Tigerlabs Health Accelerator to Pair Corporate Needs with Startups”
Booker Lines Up $27.5M in Series B Round Led by Bain Capital Ventures
More funding means even more new hires in the works at Booker in New York. The company today announced it raised $27.5 million in a Series B round led by Bain Capital Ventures with participation from prior investors Grotech Ventures, Vital Financial, Revolution Ventures, and TDF Ventures. Booker, which developed a cloud-based service management platform … Continue reading “Booker Lines Up $27.5M in Series B Round Led by Bain Capital Ventures”
NY Angels Buys 50 Startup Tickets for our April 25 Venture Challenge
With the event just 10 days away, New York Angels has grabbed a clutch of 50 tickets that will be doled out to local startups wishing to attend Xconomy’s half-day “New York’s Venture Challenge” forum on Thursday, April 25. This great event featuring some of the city’s preeminent tech entrepreneurs and venture capitalists takes place … Continue reading “NY Angels Buys 50 Startup Tickets for our April 25 Venture Challenge”
TechStars NYC alum Frederick Cook to Speak at NY Venture Challenge
Moveline co-founder and CEO Frederick Cook will give a glimpse of his startup’s evolution on April 25 at the “New York’s Venture Challenge” half-day forum organized by Xconomy. Moveline’s platform puts people who need to relocate in touch with moving companies they can hire and lets users create a video inventory of their stuff prior … Continue reading “TechStars NYC alum Frederick Cook to Speak at NY Venture Challenge”
PowerClip Charges up NY Tech Meetup with an Idea for Emergencies
Last night’s New York Tech Meetup offered a plethora of novel technology, including a demo by a group of bright 11th graders working on an electronic wrist band to help the blind with eating. The crowd got a surge, though, from PowerClip, a device used in emergencies to turn car batteries into sources of power … Continue reading “PowerClip Charges up NY Tech Meetup with an Idea for Emergencies”
Montreal’s Busbud Spending the Spring in NY to Work on Bus Travel App
Making his way south from Montreal, Busbud CEO Louis-Philippe Maurice arrived in New York in March along with a handful of other Canadian digital media startups, as part of the Canadian Technology Accelerator program called CTA@NYC. “The idea is to accelerate business development and to expand the reach of your business into the United States,” … Continue reading “Montreal’s Busbud Spending the Spring in NY to Work on Bus Travel App”
Blueprint Health Demo Day Reveals Ideas for Hospital Efficiency
Graduating its third group of startups, the Blueprint Health accelerator in New York is increasingly making its presence known beyond the city. Late last week, 11 companies pitched their technology at a demo day that included platforms for improving efficiency at hospitals and giving medical device companies more ways to connect with physicians. Mat Farkash, … Continue reading “Blueprint Health Demo Day Reveals Ideas for Hospital Efficiency”
New Accelerator Crowdfundx Kicks Off in NY with Plans to Go Global
Players from the crowdfunding and innovation community came together Thursday at the General Assembly campus in New York to announce a new accelerator called Crowdfundx (stylized as CROWDFUNDx). Folks from Startup Weekend, Social Media Week, the Startup America Partnership, the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, and Crowdfunder will serve as the backbone for Crowdfundx. The … Continue reading “New Accelerator Crowdfundx Kicks Off in NY with Plans to Go Global”
Agenda Up for NY Venture Challenge April 25: Building Big Cos to Last
It is high time that New York responded to doubters who question how long its latest tech boom will last. So we are giving the city’s innovation and venture community the chance to speak their minds on April 25 about growing local companies that endure. The formal program for New York’s Venture Challenge, to be … Continue reading “Agenda Up for NY Venture Challenge April 25: Building Big Cos to Last”
Watchitoo Brings Video Conferencing Platform to Online Education
Eager to capture a piece of the hot online-learning market, New York’s Watchitoo took the wrapping off its Web-based ClassInteract video platform on Tuesday. CEO Rony Zarom says the platform can be used by universities and others to host live chat sessions for large classes without losing individual students among the faceless throngs of participants. … Continue reading “Watchitoo Brings Video Conferencing Platform to Online Education”
Aereo Continues to Fend Off Legal Challenges to Its Cloud-Based TV Service
In an ongoing legal feud, Long Island City’s Aereo announced on Monday that the Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the prior denial of motions sought by television network broadcasters for a preliminary injunction against the startup. Aereo, which is backed by Barry Diller’s Internet company IAC in New York, developed a platform and remote antennae … Continue reading “Aereo Continues to Fend Off Legal Challenges to Its Cloud-Based TV Service”
Technology for the Real World Emerging in NYC Among Digital Startups
Plenty of software-fueled ideas are developed in New York, from big data mining to mobile apps, but part of the innovation community is also building physical technology. Tuesday night a small gathering of startups demoed their prototypes and ideas, for use in the real world, at an event hosted by NYC Tech Connect, which is … Continue reading “Technology for the Real World Emerging in NYC Among Digital Startups”
New Enterprise Associates Prepares Studio for Startups by NY Designers
On the hunt for designers who have caught the entrepreneurship bug, venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates is starting a twelve-week program, the NEA Studio, in New York for Web and mobile startups. Dayna Grayson, a partner with NEA, says the objective is not to set up another incubator or accelerator but rather a personalized, … Continue reading “New Enterprise Associates Prepares Studio for Startups by NY Designers”
Study: New York Must Reel in More Fresh Minds in Tech Talent Crunch
Aon and the Partnership for New York City on Tuesday released a study that addresses actions needed to ensure New York’s a long-term economic growth. The study dubs the city as “Destination of Choice for Talent” while also citing the competition it faces from around the world on that front. Aon, a London-based provider of … Continue reading “Study: New York Must Reel in More Fresh Minds in Tech Talent Crunch”
RentShare Adds Handybook to its Web Platform for Splitting Living Expenses
Sharing rent and other expenses with roommates can create more than a few headaches for urbanites, so it’s no wonder that two startups have combined their services to chase this market. New York’s RentShare recently integrated on its website Handybook’s online service for booking handymen, maids, plumbers, and other services. Handybook is headquartered in New … Continue reading “RentShare Adds Handybook to its Web Platform for Splitting Living Expenses”
Dennis Crowley Reveals His Plans for Foursquare’s Mountain of Data
At last night’s New York Tech Meetup, Foursquare CEO and co-founder Dennis Crowley talked about some of his company’s plans for its technology and wealth of data, which he said can curate places and events that users of the app may want to visit. He displayed a video heat map of daily Foursquare check-ins in … Continue reading “Dennis Crowley Reveals His Plans for Foursquare’s Mountain of Data”
Newark Mayor Cory Booker Says Government Must Embrace Tech, Be Open Source
Monday afternoon Newark Mayor Cory Booker crossed the Hudson River to chat at the OnMedia NYC conference about changes he believes government can make through technology. His administration uses social media to get residents more active in improving their community. “I could crowdsource my entire city,” Booker said, “and involve them in empowering Newark.” He … Continue reading “Newark Mayor Cory Booker Says Government Must Embrace Tech, Be Open Source”
PublicStuff Puts Translation Tools in Platform for Contacting Town Hall
Tuesday morning Lily Liu, CEO and founder of PublicStuff in New York, unveiled an updated version of her company’s platform that connects citizens with local government and municipal services. It is kind of like accessing 311 call centers in app form, but with additional services for citizens and data analytics for local government. The update, … Continue reading “PublicStuff Puts Translation Tools in Platform for Contacting Town Hall”
Partnership Fund for NYC Expects a Spring of FinTech, Life Sciences, & More
Amid the stoic grey marble and granite of the financial district, Maria Gotsch, CEO of the Partnership Fund for New York City, thinks about new ways to foster growth among the city’s innovators in life sciences, digital health, financial technology, and other sectors. She runs the $110 million private fund that puts money towards projects, … Continue reading “Partnership Fund for NYC Expects a Spring of FinTech, Life Sciences, & More”
Tumblr, Warby Parker, Everyday Health Set for Xconomy April 25 Forum
The more New York makes its presence known on the venture landscape, the more this community faces questions about its sustainability. Xconomy will host a half-day forum on April 25 to delve into what some of New York’s leading entrepreneurs, and the venture capitalists who back them, can do to ensure that the current surge … Continue reading “Tumblr, Warby Parker, Everyday Health Set for Xconomy April 25 Forum”
NYU-Poly Scientist Gets Google Grant for Social Networks Research
Google has awarded Oded Nov, an assistant professor at Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly), a multiyear grant to support a research project that will examine the role of design in shaping online behavior. Nov, from the Department of Technology Management and Innovation at NYU-Poly, will collaborate on the two-year research project with Mor … Continue reading “NYU-Poly Scientist Gets Google Grant for Social Networks Research”
Funding for New York Startups in Mobile Ad Tech and Web Monitoring
Catchpoint Systems in New York, a provider of Web and infrastructure monitoring technology, on Tuesday announced it raised $3.2 million in a Series A round led by Battery Ventures. Founded in 2008 by four expatriates from DoubleClick and Google, Catchpoint plans to use the funds for product development and growth. Its technology helps companies monitor their … Continue reading “Funding for New York Startups in Mobile Ad Tech and Web Monitoring”
MLB Advanced Media Ups Its Game Streaming More than Baseball to Mobile
[Updated 3/13/13, 9:26 am. See below.] Naturally, there is much ado about baseball at Major League Baseball Advanced Media in New York, especially with spring training underway. But its technology reaches far beyond the bleachers—and even beyond the TV screen. “Mobile, in our business, isn’t the second screen,” says Matthew Gould, vice president of communications … Continue reading “MLB Advanced Media Ups Its Game Streaming More than Baseball to Mobile”
NYSE Euronext’s Scott Cutler Talks IPOs and New York’s Need for Big Exits
The select few startups that brave the leap to public markets have an opportunity to provide their early backers with healthy returns, but also come under deeper scrutiny. Scott Cutler, executive vice president with NYSE Euronext and head of global listings, let Xconomy into his office this week to chat about the IPO market’s potential … Continue reading “NYSE Euronext’s Scott Cutler Talks IPOs and New York’s Need for Big Exits”
Innovid Lands $11M Series C Round for Video Ad Tech Platform
New York’s Innovid announced Wednesday that it has raised $11 million in a Series C round with backing from new investor Vintage Investment Partners and existing investors Sequoia Capital, Genesis Partners, and T-Venture. Innovid’s platform lets ad agencies working for brands and marketers put interactive video ads on mobile gadgets and PCs. The ads can … Continue reading “Innovid Lands $11M Series C Round for Video Ad Tech Platform”
Hybris Raises $30M from Meritech, Greylock, and Huntsman Gay
Hybris, a German enterprise software provider with its U.S. headquarters in New York, said Tuesday it raised $30 million in a round led by Meritech Capital Partners, with participation from Huntsman Gay Global Capital, which previously invested in the company, and Greylock Israel. Hybris, which also has offices in Boston, has developed a merchandising, data, … Continue reading “Hybris Raises $30M from Meritech, Greylock, and Huntsman Gay”
Square Founder Jack Dorsey and Union Square’s Fred Wilson Chat at NYU
Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Square and Twitter’s executive chairman, made his way back to New York University for a fireside chat Friday with Fred Wilson, the co-founder of Union Square Ventures. Dorsey, an NYU alum, talked about his early startup days and how his latest endeavor is evolving. “Where we’re going with Square is … Continue reading “Square Founder Jack Dorsey and Union Square’s Fred Wilson Chat at NYU”
SummerQAmp Tech Internship Expands to Boston, LA, Austin
Steve Martocci, co-founder of GroupMe in New York, let me drop by his office Tuesday so he could shed some light on how a summer program to train youths for technology jobs in quality assurance is expanding in its second year. “We talked a lot last year about having an online learning platform,” he says. … Continue reading “SummerQAmp Tech Internship Expands to Boston, LA, Austin”
Marc Benioff Talks Up Salesforce.com’s Strategy for the Mobile Arena
On Tuesday, Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff dropped by the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York to talk about the ways his company plans to evolve, particularly through mobile platforms. “It feels like a huge wave of innovation is coming,” he said, regarding the overall surge of connected mobile devices and touch screen interfaces in the … Continue reading “Marc Benioff Talks Up Salesforce.com’s Strategy for the Mobile Arena”
Online Educator Thinkful Lands $1M Seed Round with Peter Thiel, Others
New York-based Thinkful, an online education startup, announced Tuesday it raised $1 million in a seed round with investor and entrepreneur Peter Thiel’s FF Angel, RRE Ventures, Quotidian Ventures, and other investors. Thinkful, founded in 2012, helps its students with job interviews, placement, and career coaching, in addition to providing education. The startup offers online … Continue reading “Online Educator Thinkful Lands $1M Seed Round with Peter Thiel, Others”
New York’s Technology Future: Is It a Bubble or a Lasting Boom?
Amid the hullabaloo about New York’s growing innovation scene lurks a big question about the future. “Is New York’s rise in technology a combination of the mayor’s exuberant personality, things that are happening organically, and the overall growth of tech?” asked Steven Rosenbaum, CEO of Magnify.net. “Or is there a fundamental shift happening?” Last Thursday … Continue reading “New York’s Technology Future: Is It a Bubble or a Lasting Boom?”
Investors Talk Cluster F*ck Deals, Control Issues, and Series A Crunch
Wednesday night’s Enterprise Tech Meetup in New York ran like many panels where venture capitalists gab about what excites them in the market—until Ed Zimmerman called out a troubling trend he sees among some startup funding deals. “Companies have started raising these cluster f*ck rounds,” he said. “In these rounds you’ll have a dozen investors, … Continue reading “Investors Talk Cluster F*ck Deals, Control Issues, and Series A Crunch”
NYU to Train Data Scientists for E-Commerce, Pharma, and Other Markets
With all the talk of big data these days, many businesses are still looking for talent to turn massive amounts of information into something they can use. New York University announced Tuesday it is creating a Center for Data Science, along with a master’s-level degree program to train big-data professionals for commercial and public sectors. … Continue reading “NYU to Train Data Scientists for E-Commerce, Pharma, and Other Markets”
Gary Vaynerchuk Chats with Dave McClure, Calls Entrepreneurs a Rare Breed
Angel investor, Wine Library-phenom, and VaynerMedia co-founder Gary Vaynerchuk dropped by last week’s 500 Startups demo day in New York for a brazenly candid talk on investment strategies and deal valuations. “I don’t give a [expletive] about the numbers,” he said. “I don’t understand the math of it well enough. I’m a salesman. I bet … Continue reading “Gary Vaynerchuk Chats with Dave McClure, Calls Entrepreneurs a Rare Breed”
HowAboutWe Opens its Website to Couples Looking for Romantic Ideas
Plenty of singles search online for love these days, but HowAboutWe in Brooklyn sees an opportunity to serve couples who want to try new dating ideas with their current partners. At last week’s New York Tech Meetup, HowAboutWe debuted new features on its website to serve people in relationships—just in time for Valentine’s Day. Co-founder … Continue reading “HowAboutWe Opens its Website to Couples Looking for Romantic Ideas”
Simulmedia Gets $5M from Avalon, Time Warner, and Union Square
New York-based television advertising company Simulmedia announced Tuesday it raised an additional $5 million from prior investors, bringing its total funding to $32 million since its inception in 2009. The company’s backers include Avalon Ventures, Time Warner Investments, and Union Square Ventures. Simulmedia draws on data from set top boxes and media monitoring sources such … Continue reading “Simulmedia Gets $5M from Avalon, Time Warner, and Union Square”
MediaShift Snaps Up Remaining Pieces of Travel Ad Network Travora Media
A few short months ago, travel ad network company Travora Media in New York sought to increase its stake in the online travel market. After several substantial changes, on Monday digital ad technology company JMG Exploration in Glendale, CA, announced it has acquired Travora for an undisclosed amount. Travora Media had owned travel sites such … Continue reading “MediaShift Snaps Up Remaining Pieces of Travel Ad Network Travora Media”
TechStars Alum Shelby.tv Moves Back Towards Spotlight at NYTM
Last night’s New York Tech Meetup put some familiar faces on stage, including the team at Shelby.tv, which gave a look at what the startup has been up to since last summer when it began to rebuild. From a big picture perspective, Shelby.tv continues to be about discovering video online; however this alumnus from the … Continue reading “TechStars Alum Shelby.tv Moves Back Towards Spotlight at NYTM”
London’s Hailo Gets $30.6M Fare from Union Square Ventures, Others
As initially reported by The Wall Street Journal, London-based taxi app maker Hailo raised $30.6 million in a Series B round led by Union Square Ventures. Other investors participating in the round include Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson, Phenomen Ventures, teleco KDDI in Tokyo, Red Swan Ventures, Felicis Ventures, and prior investors. A version of … Continue reading “London’s Hailo Gets $30.6M Fare from Union Square Ventures, Others”
Zynga, East Coast Publishers Talk Strategies at Mobile Gaming USA East
Zynga Mobile New York, GSN Digital, The Tap Lab, and other mobile game publishers gave a glimpse inside their playbooks on getting more revenue from freemium titles at last week’s Mobile Gaming USA East conference. Chieh Huang, a director with Zynga Mobile NY, said during a panel that game makers can let money slip through … Continue reading “Zynga, East Coast Publishers Talk Strategies at Mobile Gaming USA East”
Rovio Entertainment’s Ville Heijari Talks Marketing for Mobile Games
Even with its addictive gameplay and wacky characters, turning “Angry Birds” into a popular franchise required sizable doses of marketing savvy. And for Finland’s Rovio Entertainment, that meant merchandise—everything from stuffed animals to toothbrushes, some 25,000 products strong. Ville Heijari, senior vice president of brand marketing for Rovio, dropped by the A List Summit in … Continue reading “Rovio Entertainment’s Ville Heijari Talks Marketing for Mobile Games”
Marketing Tech Developer Unified Acquires Y Combinator-Alum PageLever
Enterprise marketing technology provider Unified in New York said in a statement Monday it acquired San Francisco-based PageLever, a developer of an analytics platform for Facebook Pages, for undisclosed terms. PageLever is a graduate of the summer 2011 Y Combinator startup incubator program. Unified, which also has offices in San Francisco and Chicago, was founded … Continue reading “Marketing Tech Developer Unified Acquires Y Combinator-Alum PageLever”
Michael Yang Opens Up about the Startups that Excite Comcast Ventures
Media conglomerate Comcast Corp. is known for its cable system and TV networks. Meanwhile, venture fund Comcast Ventures has been backing innovation across country since 1999, with offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, New York, and Philadelphia. Michael Yang, managing director of the Silicon Valley office, spoke with Xconomy about the types of investments Comcast … Continue reading “Michael Yang Opens Up about the Startups that Excite Comcast Ventures”
Rodale Taps Bobby Chowdhury’s Technical Drive for New CTO Job
Health and fitness magazine publisher Rodale Inc. has hired Bobby Chowdhury as its first dedicated chief technology officer looking to draw upon his technical skills and experience for its forthcoming e-commerce platform. Chowdhury, previously with Condé Nast, will split his time between New York and the Rodale headquarters in Emmaus, PA. Rodale publishes such titles as … Continue reading “Rodale Taps Bobby Chowdhury’s Technical Drive for New CTO Job”
True Office Wins $3M Series A Round with Games for Compliance Training
New York’s True Office, which makes cloud-based games for compliance and regulatory training, said in a statement Thursday it landed $3 million in a Series A round that includes participation from Contour Venture Partners, Rho Ventures, and the Partnership for New York City Fund. True Office develops games—available through mobile devices and Web browsers—that other … Continue reading “True Office Wins $3M Series A Round with Games for Compliance Training”