New York’s JOOR, an online fashion wholesale marketplace, raised $2.25 million in a funding round led by Battery Ventures, according to a press release. Other investors in the round include Lerer Ventures, Great Oaks Venture Capital, Landis Capital, and Forerunner Ventures, as well as individual investors William M. Smith and Richard Mishaan. One-year-old JOOR says it … Continue reading “JOOR Raises $2.25M in First Round”
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.
Proust.com Debuts with Site Concentrated on Family Social Networking
With an eye for bringing family and intimate friends together, New York’s Proust.com is unveiling its new website today, in a bid to take its online social scrapbook from beta to center stage. While other types of social networks encourage users to amass large and sometimes unwieldy lists of followers and friends, Proust is aiming … Continue reading “Proust.com Debuts with Site Concentrated on Family Social Networking”
New Enterprise Associates Opens New York City Office
Menlo Park, CA-based venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates has opened a new office in New York City, according to VentureWire. NEA, which also has offices in Maryland, has invested in such New York companies as luxury apparel retailer Moda Operandi; Gilt Groupe, which offers discounts from retailers, restaurants, and other service providers; and Quidsi, … Continue reading “New Enterprise Associates Opens New York City Office”
Foursquare Clutches Its Crown as Location-Based Realm Evolves
Like mechanics building different cars around the same powertrain, makers of many location-based apps work with the platform provided by New York’s Foursquare. Some developers have meshed the check-in system with social connections, while others help movie fans discover the locations where their favorite scenes were shot, among other applications. In spite of its innovations, … Continue reading “Foursquare Clutches Its Crown as Location-Based Realm Evolves”
NeoStem Acquires Amorcyte
New York biopharmaceutical company NeoStem (NYSE: [[ticker:NBS]]) says it signed a definitive merger agreement to acquire Amorcyte, an Allendale, NJ, biotech developing cell therapy treatments for cardiovascular disease. Amorcyte, a development stage company, has a product candidate, AMR-001, in the works for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction. NeoStem plans to commence a phase II clinical … Continue reading “NeoStem Acquires Amorcyte”
Social Contacts and Body Parts: A Rundown of This Month’s NY Tech Meetup
This month’s NY Tech Meetup, held on July 5, brought more than 750 spectators to the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts eager to see some of the latest ideas from local startups, including one group that came out of stealth that same day. Though the event was themed as the “Now Neighborhood,” the … Continue reading “Social Contacts and Body Parts: A Rundown of This Month’s NY Tech Meetup”
Outbrain Pushes Must-See Content, Attracts Venture Capitalist to its Ranks
News links in the social era get swapped much like baseball cards of old. Readers repost and Like topics they expect their friends to share an interest in. New York startup Outbrain is not out to become your Facebook buddy—but the company will steer you to stories it believes you want to see. Outbrain has … Continue reading “Outbrain Pushes Must-See Content, Attracts Venture Capitalist to its Ranks”
Recyclebank Offers Rewards for Green Actions
As crafty parents know, turning chores into games can motivate hard work. New York’s Recyclebank uses a similar approach with its incentive program to encourage recycling. Working with community and school organizations, as well as with individual members, Recyclebank offers rewards points to those who recycle empty bottles, cereal boxes, pet food cans, sandwich bags, … Continue reading “Recyclebank Offers Rewards for Green Actions”
Efficiency 2.0 Offers Energy Diet Plan with Perks to Consumers
Dangling a carrot in front of a stubborn mule might get it to prance, but energy customers can be tougher to motivate. Armed with an incentive program to encourage conservation, Efficiency 2.0 in New York thinks it has the right kind of lure to curb energy waste. Our reliance on appliances, mobile gadgets, and computers … Continue reading “Efficiency 2.0 Offers Energy Diet Plan with Perks to Consumers”
Glowpoint Gets Nearly $1.6M from Avaya
Glowpoint (OTCBB: [[ticker:GLOW]]) in Murray Hill, NJ, has raised nearly $1.6 million in equity financing, according to regulatory filings with the SEC. The company is a provider of telepresence and video conferencing management services. Glowpoint generated $32,000 in profits on $7 million in revenue for the quarter ending on March 31. Glowpoint issued a total of … Continue reading “Glowpoint Gets Nearly $1.6M from Avaya”
New York Startup Social Amp Turns Facebook Friends into E-commerce Commentators
The next time you shop online for gifts and your Facebook friends’ interests appear on the webpage, Social Amp’s technology may be running under the digital hood. Matt Sunbulli, cofounder of the two-year-old New York startup, is on a mission to make e-commerce a more social experience. With a dose of crowdsourcing for shopping suggestions, … Continue reading “New York Startup Social Amp Turns Facebook Friends into E-commerce Commentators”
Health Guru Media Gets $6M Funding Bump
New York’s Health Guru Media raised $6 million in a funding round that includes new investor Western Technology Investment, according to a press release. Other investors in the round included Castile Ventures and Village Ventures. Health Guru hosts health and diet video content online after pivoting in 2006 away from its initial incarnation as the William Shatner … Continue reading “Health Guru Media Gets $6M Funding Bump”
IBM SmartCamp Makes Its Debut in New York, Attracts Startups From Across the Atlantic
[Updated 6/30/11. See below] Eager entrepreneurs armed with ideas they believe can improve our way of life gathered on Tuesday for the first ever New York edition of the IBM Global Entrepreneur SmartCamp. The competition, which came to Boston last June, brings select groups of startups together with mentors from the investor community. Deborah Magid, … Continue reading “IBM SmartCamp Makes Its Debut in New York, Attracts Startups From Across the Atlantic”
Moda Operandi Raises $10 Million
Moda Operandi, a New York-based online luxury apparel retailer, said Monday it raised $10 million in series B financing in a round led by venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates. Previous investor New Atlantic Ventures also invested in the round. Moda Operandi users can pre-order apparel from designers such as Marc Jacobs, Vera Wang, and Missoni … Continue reading “Moda Operandi Raises $10 Million”
Fighting the Froth and Fluff: New York Tech Investors See Strengths in Digital Media Startups, Challenges in “Me-Tooism”
Venture capitalists and early-stage investors in New York may occasionally pull on their Wellington boots to wade through the muck of startups flooding the market, but they are not grumbling about it. The trick is sifting through the me-too entrepreneurs that develop ideas along the lines of Foursquare, which raised $50 million last Friday, and … Continue reading “Fighting the Froth and Fluff: New York Tech Investors See Strengths in Digital Media Startups, Challenges in “Me-Tooism””
Mimeo.com Raises $10.7M
Mimeo.com, a New York-based provider of online and on-demand document printing services, raised $10.7 million in equity according to a regulatory filing with the SEC. Mimeo’s board includes directors from its investors HarbourVest Partners and Draper Fisher JGV Fund, according to the filing. Dow Jones VentureWire initially reported the funding announcement. Mimeo has not yet … Continue reading “Mimeo.com Raises $10.7M”
Tagify Plans to Mature Before Seeking Investors After Win at Startup Weekend NYC
Amid the ideas brewed in the carnival atmosphere at Startup Weekend New York City earlier this month was another attempt at tackling the rapidly growing issue of contact management. The team that created Tagify.us, an app that crowdsources information about users’ personal contacts, won first place at the end of the 54-hour event (June 10-12). … Continue reading “Tagify Plans to Mature Before Seeking Investors After Win at Startup Weekend NYC”
Yipit Raises $6 Million More to Aggregate Daily Deals
New York’s Yipit, an aggregator of daily deals, said it raised $6 million in a Series B funding round led by Highland Capital Partners, based in the Boston area. The news was first reported by TechCrunch. Vinicius Vacanti, co-founder of Yipit, said existing investors RRE Ventures, DFJ Gotham Ventures, and IA Ventures also participated in … Continue reading “Yipit Raises $6 Million More to Aggregate Daily Deals”
OneStop Singles, Small but Profitable, Flirts for Attention in Crowded Online Dating Industry
Standing out in New York can be a challenge for a young company—especially one serving the singles scene. The “been there, done that” attitude is difficult to overcome in Manhattan when pushing a dating website, given the plethora of paid and free services available such as Match.com, eHarmony, OkCupid, and PlentyofFish. While many dating services … Continue reading “OneStop Singles, Small but Profitable, Flirts for Attention in Crowded Online Dating Industry”
Founder Labs Brings Its Silicon Valley Flair for Fostering Startups to Manhattan
Picking the right team can make all the difference when launching a new venture. Starting on May 21, a group of some 16 designers, engineers, and marketing professionals will gather to form teams aimed at creating startups. Founder Labs, a five week “pre-incubator” program targeting concepts for the mobile sector, is ready for its Manhattan … Continue reading “Founder Labs Brings Its Silicon Valley Flair for Fostering Startups to Manhattan”